


Memories

by Serani



Category: Naruto
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Fingerfucking, Humor, M/M, Masturbation, Oral Sex, Rivalry, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-27
Updated: 2012-07-26
Packaged: 2017-11-10 20:06:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 69,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/470151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serani/pseuds/Serani
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They'd always been friends, for a long as they could remember. But is that all they were?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please remember that all the characters within belong to Masashi Kishimoto, not me! I just came up with the story.

The first memory he had of his best friend was of stealing his lollipop. He figured they couldn't have been more than about two years old at the time, maybe even less. He didn't remember much about it other than a squalling toddler-sized version of Izumo, a bright patch of sunshine on the carpet and cherry flavoring.    
  
His mother had immediately taken the treat from him and given it back to Izumo who, by this time, didn't want it anymore. He vaguely remembered thinking that would mean he'd get to eat it, but instead, it went into the garbage can. Then he'd let loose his own screaming fit, only to feel his mother's hand against his bottom for his trouble.   
  
For a while after that, he didn't like Izumo very much. But he got stuck seeing him all the time because  _their_  mothers were best friends. To add insult to injury, they lived next door to each other. He did, at least, learn not to steal any more lollipops.   
  
He stole other stuff, though. Whatever toy Izumo found fascinating, Kotetsu decided he wanted. Whatever picture he was going to draw, Kotetsu had to draw better. And when, in the toddler-Kotetsu's opinion he didn't, well, he took the drawing Izumo had made instead. The first couple of those, he crumpled up, causing the other child to start screaming. Again.   
  
It took them a while to start playing nicely together. He could only do so much to the other boy and get spanked for his trouble before he gave up. He didn't understand then  _why_ he tormented Izumo so much, he just did. He wouldn't have understood that he just wanted the other boy's attention, just the acknowledgement. So instead, he simply kept up the annoyances.   
  
But it wasn't until they were about four that things really changed.   
  
He was outside with his mother, playing in the tiny patch of grass they had for a back yard when Izumo and his mother came over. The other boy approached Kotetsu warily, expecting him to steal something else, even though he had nothing to steal. Kotetsu looked up at him, half expecting the other boy to start screaming, even if he didn't do anything. They were beyond that, both long since old enough to be a little more mature about that sort of thing, but ingrained behaviors and expectations don't change quickly.   
  
So there they were in the small yard, staring at each other, evaluating the other's expression. Kotetsu had no idea what to expect or think. Then Izumo held out a lollipop.    
  
Kotetsu blinked at it, then up into the other boys face, then back at the lollipop. It was still in its wrapper, obviously not having been opened even, much less sucked on. Kotetsu glanced at their mothers who were involved in their own conversation and no help whatsoever. He looked back and reached out tentatively.    
  
"Here." When the lollipop didn't get pulled back, instead was  _shoved_ into his hand by a  _blushing_ Izumo, he simply blinked. Then the other boy pulled one of his own out from behind his back, opened it, plopped down in the grass and started eating it.   
  
"Th-thanks." Kotetsu did the only thing he could think of. He opened his own lollipop, put it in his mouth, then picked up the little wooden dog he had and held it out to Izumo. The other little boy stared at him for a moment, then took it. Kotetsu picked up the wooden cat he had and pretended to chase the wooden dog. Izumo blinked at it a moment, then started playing along.   
  
From that day on, they'd been inseparable.    
  
  
The next memory that stuck out in his mind was right before summer break the first year after they'd started the academy together. Izumo's father had gotten  _the_ mission earlier that year and his mother had taken it very hard. She, herself, was a shinobi, but that didn't mean it was any easier to take.    
  
She'd stopped going on missions, stopped doing much of anything, except taking care of Izumo. This only managed to make things worse on the boy because he was trying hard enough to deal with his father being gone. Then he'd had to step in, to a point, for him with his mother, taking over being the one to give her attention and love.    
  
It was during this time, when Izumo's hair had come down over his right eye and never gone back. Kotetsu never pushed for what exactly had caused it. He had his suspicions, because one night, Izumo had shown up on his balcony outside his window, a look on his face Kotetsu had never seen before. He'd asked with a politeness that had surprised him, if he'd be allowed to sleep on his floor.    
  
Kotetsu had convinced him to just crash next to him, instead. He'd been afraid of that look on his face, worried for his friend and it was the only thing he could come up with to maybe offer indirect comfort. The next morning, after Izumo had showered and brushed his hair, the right eye was covered. He'd never been seen with it up since then.    
  
So that summer, Kotetsu's mother and father had decided to step in. They'd taken leave, packed up the five of them and headed to the beach. Over the next few days, Izumo had come out of his shell some while they played in the water and sand. The hair never moved, but his attitude and emotional state in general was much better.   
  
Izumo's mother had also seemed to recover. When they got back, she'd started going on missions again and her tight hold on Izumo had eased. Kotetsu had no idea what had happened late at night in the adults' room, and he didn't want to know. He was just glad for Izumo's sake that his mother had started to feel better.   
  
  
As they got older, they had a number of other memories that stuck out. The first time Kotetsu had stumbled across a porn magazine in his father's desk, he'd shoved it back in, then went and found Izumo. After a brief argument on whether or not they'd get caught, they'd snuck it out of the house and spend several hours discussing it. Most of that had been trying to figure out exactly  _how_  some of that worked, and some of it had been a debate over whether it was gross or not.   
  
There were the times they'd pulled pranks at the academy, once both of them managing to make themselves throw up to get out of class. It had backfired because not only had their parents been called, but they'd then had to spend the rest of the day, in bed - their own, so they couldn't even hang out together.    
  
Then there was the time they'd simply skipped altogether. They'd gotten away with that one because all three parents were out on missions. They only one watching the two had been the landlady for Izumo's building, and she'd had nothing to be suspicious of. They'd left like normal in the morning, but instead of heading to the academy, the found space near the back of one of the training grounds.   
  
And found themselves bored. Neither was willing to admit to it, so they'd gone back to discussing the porn magazine, rather than risk actually pulling out their books. They'd decided on the picture that was, quite obviously in their not so humble opinion, the best in the magazine.    
  
Somewhere along the way, neither paid attention to the fact that they'd fallen silent, had their hands in their pants, stroking themselves as the stared at the picture. A few minutes later, their pants were open and they ended up bringing themselves to orgasm, almost at the same time.    
  
The real shock that had come to them was when they realized their other hands had been touching -- no they'd been  _holding_  hands, while they did. Kotetsu had never paid much attention to the fact that his best friend was a left-handed person. It just was, it didn't matter to him. Until that day, in the back of the training ground. Because his dominant hand was around his cock, that left his other hand on the ground, a little too close to Kotetsu's.    
  
So when they'd finished and discovered their hands were clasped in each other's, there was a very tense, strained silence between them. They'd shaken it off, laughing as they turned away to put themselves to rights and shove the embarrassment off. But that was the first time Kotetsu had noticed his friend as more than just a friend. Because though his eyes had been trained on the magazine, when he had been on the point of coming, it was Izumo's face that had flashed through his mind instead.   
  
He'd shoved it to the side, patently ignoring it. He told himself it was just because they'd been touching, that was all. And, for the most part that worked. They'd never done anything like that again, had been very careful to keep their masturbating for private. And Kotetsu had managed after that, for the most part, to keep the girls he liked in place in his mind and not his friend.   
  
  
It was no surprise when they'd graduated together or that they'd been assigned to the same genin team. They found that, despite Kotetsu's penchant for playing around, they worked very well together. Their sensei had said that was often the case with people who'd been friends for as long as they had.    
  
They'd caught the god-awful cat fairly quickly, survived the babysitting missions, the otherwise boring stuff that none of the other genin teams wanted to do. Because as long as they were together, it just wasn't all that boring. There was always something to talk about or laugh over, always something to do.   
  
And thought Kotetsu did his best to annoy his friend, they did their learning. So when the chuunin exams rolled around and they found themselves in it, it ended up being their ability to work together that got their team through it. The other boy on their team - a Hyuuga with a disposition that made Neji look happy, wasn't very interested in learning teamwork. Had they been assigned to Kakashi's team, they would have failed. Thankfully, he wasn't teaching yet.   
  
No, it was the way they worked together that got them through the Forest of Death and into the arena. Kotetsu's abilities with genjutsu had allowed them to see through a number of things and helped them survive. Their Hyuuga teammate had been knocked out in the first round at the arena, but surprisingly, they'd made it.   
  
Neither made it through the last couple of matches of the exam, but apparently they'd done well enough to be appointed chuunin anyway. The Hokage had told them that their teamwork during the Forest of Death had been commendable and worthy of chuunin status, especially in view of their teammates unwillingness to work with them. After their surprise wore off, they happily accepted the flak vests.    
  
After the exams were over, they'd found themselves at the celebration party. The chuunin exam event was considered the de facto rite of passage for all shinobi. Even if it took a little longer, everyone, eventually, passed them or was promoted because of their performance at them. So it was also usually the point in their lives when they got drunk the first time and when many of them made sure they lost their virginity.   
  
  
And so they both had set out to lose said virginity. When the cute brunette started smiling at Kotetsu, Izumo just stared for a moment, before elbowing his friend in the side. He'd finally looked up and blushed, eventually getting the hint. They'd disappeared into one of the many bedrooms and Izumo had found himself oddly jealous.    
  
Then the little redhead started flirting with him and he'd managed to forget all about it. For a while, anyway. Later that evening, when they'd made their way home to the new apartment they'd rented together, they'd stayed up for hours talking.   
  
Words like 'disappointing' and phrases like 'not what I expected' were tossed around, but they insisted it was just because it was the first time. That it really wasn't anything more than that. They'd decided then that it just meant they'd need to get more experience, that was all. But neither of them would admit how weird it felt when they thought of the other going out to get said experience.   
  
  
For a while they fell into something of a routine. Their missions were fairly tame, which they didn't readily admit that they were grateful for, even though they were. They found themselves home as often as not and spent more and more time on the mission desk and at the gates. They'd earned a place as chuunin examiners and between that and the mission desk, they ended up spending more time home than out.    
  
Occasionally, Kotetsu complained, but Izumo usually reminded him that it meant they could be in the Krooked Kunai on weekends instead of camping on the cold ground. That pretty much shut Kotetsu up. He wasn't too keen on the camping parts of missions and much preferred his warm bed at home.   
  
So Friday and Saturday nights became their hunting nights and both men did their best to ignore the small pangs of jealousy that flared when the other one left with a date. It made no sense to them, as far as they'd admit. They spent all their time together, except for the few hours here and there that they had a date and there were even plenty of times that they doubled. Because neither would admit that they were attracted to each other.   
  
  
And then Konoha's playboy happened. Yet another Friday night at the Krooked Kunai. Yet another hunt for someone to take home, at least for a few hours. But this time, Kotetsu had had a bit too much to drink and Izumo had found a pretty young woman with deep black hair, exotic slanting eyes and nice smile. So when they'd left the bar, Kotetsu watching them go, he'd decided to give up for the night and have another drink.   
  
And that's when Kakashi had appeared. "Hello, Kotetsu-kun."   
  
He glanced to his side, blinking. "Kakashi-san." He waved to the bartender for another bottle, but he didn't come over. Aio instead glanced at Kakashi, then back at him and shrugged. He glared at the man, then looked back at his company, who was staring at him oddly. He raised an eyebrow in inquiry.    
  
"So, how long have you been resisting your attraction?"   
  
He blinked at the other man. "Attraction? To who?" He looked around the bar, not seeing anyone in particular.   
  
"Come on, Kotetsu, we both know who you want." Kakashi said, then picked up his own bottle.   
  
The younger man raised his eyebrows. "I'm afraid we don't. At least, I don't." Something wasn't adding up right and Kotetsu thought maybe he'd already had more to drink than he should have.   
  
Kakashi nodded. "Okay, well, perhaps I was wrong."   
  
Kotetsu shook his head. "Maybe if you told me who you were talking about, then I could tell you if you were right or wrong." He paused and went over that again in his head. Definitely more inebriated than he should be, but he thought it came out right.   
  
Kakashi considered him a moment. "I think the reason you're still here and not on your way home with a hot brunette is because said hot brunet just left on the arm of a woman."   
  
Kotetsu blinked at him as it set in. His cheeks colored and he turned back to stare at the bar. "No, I think you have it wrong."   
  
"Do I?" Kakashi asked, sipping again at his drink.   
  
"Of course. I don't like men." Kotetsu said, but he didn't sound nearly as sure as he should have.    
  
"You don't?" Kakashi asked.   
  
Kotetsu sighed. This was getting annoying. "Of course not." But he thought back over the last several years, and realized just how… bland his sex life had felt. He'd always gone along with hunting down women, but the truth was, half the time he did because he thought that's what he was  _supposed_  to do. Because that's what Zumo had done. He'd found himself looking at men more than once, he knew that much. Including, he realized, his color darkening, Kakashi himself.   
  
He frowned and glanced over at the copy nin. "So, um, why do you care?" They'd never spent more than a few minutes in each others' company over the last few years and all of it in the mission office as he turned in his paperwork or took missions for a team.   
  
"Well, because I find you attractive and I thought perhaps you might be interested in something else, that maybe you might be open to going to do something. But since I can see you are not, please allow me to apologize for interrupting you." Kakashi picked up his sake bottle and turned to leave.   
  
Kotetsu stared for a moment, at a complete loss, then it hit him. He was trying to pick him up! Holy shit! He'd never been on the other end of that before. He cleared his throat. "Um…" despite the amount of sake he'd apparently imbibed, he blushed even more, but reached out and caught Kakashi's sleeve.   
  
Kakashi paused and looked over the younger man. "Yes?"   
  
"Um, well…" he stammered, blushing even brighter. "Maybe… maybe you're right. About part of it, anyway."   
  
The copy nin sat back down and set his bottle onto the bar. "Part of it?"   
  
Kotetsu nodded. "Yeah, maybe…" he sighed and looked toward Aio again, signaling for him to come down. "Um, water, please." The bartender nodded and went to get his glass. He turned back to Kakashi. "Maybe you're right about, not being sure. About… um… " He groaned at himself. God, he sounded like some genin straight out of the academy. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Men."   
  
Kakashi looked him over at the blush under his bandage and smiled, his eye crinkling at the corner. "Well, then, you've… never been involved with one before, is that right?"   
  
Kotetsu shook his head. "Thank you," he said to Aio as he picked up his water glass and drank half of it down. "No, I haven't." He said to Kakashi.   
  
"How do you know?"   
  
"What?" Kotetsu turned to the other man.   
  
"How do you know you might like them?" Kakashi asked him.   
  
His blush brightened. "Um, well…" He had no idea how to answer that. "I don't know. I just… think… well, they're attractive." This last was mumbled, but Kakashi apparently caught it.    
  
The copy nin nodded. "Very well. Would you like to find out?"   
  
Kotetsu swallowed hard and glanced over. He had to admit, if there was anyone he _would_ find attractive, besides, of course, Zumo, it  _would_  be the village pervert, wouldn't it? He started to shake his head at his thoughts, then realized he hadn't answered the question. "Um," he closed his eyes. Was he really considering having gay sex with Konoha's playboy? He was far from a saint himself when it came to sex, for God's sake. Well, if there was anyone to learn from, it would be him, wouldn't it? "Yes."   
  
And with that, he felt a hand on his back. He glanced over as Kakashi drained his sake bottle. "Well, then, shall we?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.   
  
Kotetsu drained his glass of water, making a face at the taste, wishing he'd had one more bottle of sake instead. "Okay."


	2. Chapter 2

That was all, just… a touch. Skin against skin and Kotetsu's eyes closed, realizing that he rarely took the time to do things like that when he was with the women he'd taken home. They'd… well, they'd fucked, that was about the extent of it. They were usually drunk enough to be pretty wound up so that by the time they were getting in the door - whichever door they went to - they were basically having sex in the entryway. Sometimes, they'd make it all the way to a bed, but not always. They'd fuck, hard and fast most of the time, then sometime afterwards, he'd leave. Maybe, if they were in bed, she'd fall asleep and he'd slip out. Or she would, it wasn't always him. But he couldn't remember a single time that didn't involve something like that.   
  
So this, just touching like this, was completely new. Kakashi took those insane lips of his and started a trail down Kotetsu's neck and he suddenly found it very difficult to just  _breathe_ . How in the hell that could be, he had no idea.   
  
He realized he was just standing there, letting the other man do everything and so he reached up and tentatively touched the chest in front of him. So different from a woman's. And not just because of the lack of breasts. The muscles felt good to him, the tautness of the skin and, after a glance up at the other man, he leaned in and put his lips over one of the scars.   
  
Kakashi sucked in a breath. Kotetsu jumped back a little, but the older man put his hand through the spiky hair and pushed him back. "It feels good," he whispered. So he leaned in and did it again. Before he knew it, he was covering the chest in tastes and light bites. "You can mark me," he said, quietly and Kotetsu glanced up one more, then sucked a bit of the skin into his mouth. He was rewarded with a moan from the man above him.   
  
He felt hands over his back, down over his ass and it felt good enough to pull a moan out of his own throat. The lips captured his again, and Kotetsu went just a little crazy. His arms went up over the shoulders around Kakashi's neck and he threaded his fingers through the silver hair. He put as much as he could into the kiss and realized that he was learning what the copy nin liked.   
  
Yet another of his shortcomings when it came to sex. Because it had always been so hard and fast, he'd never taken the time to learn about his partner. Oh, he knew, generally speaking, how to have sex, but he'd never spent enough time with anyone in particular to learn what they  _liked._  God, he felt like such an idiot in that moment.   
  
But the other man wouldn't let him be distracted for long. He fixed his mouth to Kotetsu's neck and sucked hard, bringing his attention fully back. He groaned loudly, Kakashi pulled him closer in and their erections rubbed against each other through their uniform pants. That's when it got through to him just how aroused and turned on he was by all of this.   
  
There was no question about it at this point. He liked men. He'd probably been fooling himself for a long time about it. His mind flashed briefly to Izumo, but he pushed the image of his best friend aside. He didn't want to think about him right then. He wanted, instead, to think about this man, doing insane things to him.   
  
"What…" he paused and took a deep breath. "What do I do?"   
  
Kakashi smiled slightly and Kotetsu stared at the mouth. The mouth alone could be deadly, setting aside the rest of the man. He blinked and raised his eyes up to meet the one open one. "Why not get undressed?"   
  
Duh. His cheeks colored at that, feeling more than a little foolish, but he turned to fumble with his pants. When the stupid button didn't want to behave, he took a deep breath and attempted to calm down just a bit. Finally, he managed to get his pants open and, stifling further color, he let his pants and boxers drop.   
  
Before he had a chance to get uncomfortable, though, Kakashi was there again, up against his back, running his hands over him. He felt the hand on his bare ass, the other over his hip as the copy nin put his mouth once more on his neck. He moaned again, then felt the other man against his ass. A hard cock and he couldn't believe how much he wanted to feel it.   
  
Oh hell yeah. Nothing he was feeling tonight was close to the things he'd felt before. He turned to face him and decided it was time to be a bit more of a participant in what was happening. He swallowed hard, then leaned up to kiss the man again. As he did so, he let his hand glide down over that sexy chest until it touched his cock.   
  
He didn't know what he expected. It felt a lot like his own, only longer and a bit thinner. He wrapped his hand around it and started stroking it gently, the way he liked when he started masturbating. This earned him a loud moan. "Fuck, yeah." Kakashi groaned softly. He pumped into Kotetsu's hand for a moment, his eyes closed, his head tilted back, before grabbing his wrist and pulling it away.   
  
The copy nin backed them up to the bed and, after another kiss, pushed him back onto it. The younger man laid back, nervous once again. Kakashi looked up at him and smiled, then lowered his mouth to Kotetsu's cock.   
  
Oh God, that was good. Holy God, he thought he must have died or something. That couldn't possibly feel that good. This man had obviously given many,  _many_  blow jobs before. Kotetsu buried his hands in the silver hair, his eyes closed and sounds he'd never heard himself make before issued from his throat as the copy nin worked his cock over.   
  
He could have sworn there was chakra involved in some of that. He'd swallowed him completely, done things with his tongue he'd never thought possible, sucked him hard enough to make his eyes cross. His hips wanted to move, his hands fisting in the hair, but Kakashi held him down, keeping him still and it only made him crazier.   
  
"Oh fuck. Fuck.. I'm… I'm going to come," he was close, so close, but the older man pulled back. He stared at the ceiling, trying hard to get a hold of himself. He couldn't remember ever in his life being this aroused.   
  
He looked down to see both of the mismatched eyes trained on him. He worked his way up Kotetsu's body, kissing, nibbling, even licking in spots and his arousal only got worse. Kakashi leaned in when he got back to his face, their hard cocks rubbing against each other again, and when he caught those lips, he tasted some of himself on the other man's tongue. It, in itself, was even arousing. "I want to fuck you. I'm _going_  to fuck you hard before this night is over." He paused to suck once more at Kotetsu's neck and the younger man couldn't hold in another moan. "I'm well aware of my reputation in the village, but I want you to remember who you're with tonight."   
  
"Fuck, Kakashi how could I not?" The younger man whined.   
  
The copy nin smiled. "Good." His smile died. "I'm not a stand in."   
  
Kotetsu shook his head. "No. No you're not." he was briefly confused until he realized that this man, playboy or not - and he wasn't entirely convinced after all that he was one, but he wanted to make sure that he was thinking only about him. Not Izumo. "Kakashi… I have no doubt in my mind who I'm with. No doubt who I'm thinking about."   
  
"Good." And the look in the other man's eye was just a little predatory. Kotetsu swallowed. He leaned forward, his lips working their way over the younger man's chin and neck again.   
  
Kotetsu would probably never in his life forget that night. Never in his life forget that experience. Years later, when he'd had other experiences, he'd find some that were actually better than that one, but it would always be a very vivid and  _very good_ memory.   
  
The very first one had been a bit awkward, he'd admit that, but that had been simply because he had no real idea what to expect. But once Kakashi had gotten him past all of that, it had been insane. He'd spent time teaching him about giving oral, taught him how to use chakra to help him take a cock deeper into his throat, then coached him on how to use it to make it even better for the person he was going down on. He'd even given him the chance to feel the other side of anal sex, which Kotetsu would found out much later was a huge bit of trust he'd given.   
  
He'd actually discovered he liked it the other way around better. He liked the feel of a cock in his ass, filling him up, the sensations of it sliding in and out of him. And then when he hit his prostate, Kotetsu thought he really  _had_  gone crazy.   
  
No, he much preferred that side of things. He wouldn't learn until later that it was called "bottoming." Kakashi  _hadn't_  spent a lot of time talking, except to give directions now and again when they were needed. But the older man had been more than happy to turn things back around.   
  
He'd taught him positions and shown him that most of the ones he could do with a woman could be done with another man. It might mean being slightly more flexible, but as shinobi that wasn't much of a question. He  _had_  spent a bit of time explaining why he'd gone to great lengths to stretch him as much as he did. And how uncomfortable and embarrassing it would be to show up at the hospital bleeding because he wasn't careful enough. Kotetsu had a feeling the man was speaking from experience.   
  
He didn't get much sleep that night at all. They'd even taken a couple of showers in there when things had gotten just a bit too messy. It was, in fact, close to dawn by the time they were both exhausted, and Kotetsu started to wonder if he should get up and leave.   
  
He lay there, watching the sun come up, fighting the need to slip under and sleep. "Do you have gate duty today?"   
  
Kotetsu shook his head. "No. Usually don't on the weekends, thankfully."   
  
"Then get some rest." Kakashi leaned up over him. "Unless you have a problem sleeping with me." This was accompanied by a slight twist of his lips.   
  
Kotetsu chuckled. "No, I don't. I was just trying to figure that out, actually."   
  
"Get some sleep. And if you're up for it later, I wouldn't mind having you again."   
  
The younger man gulped. He heard Kakashi's answering chuckle and the last thought he had before slipping into unconsciousness was,  _what did I get himself into?_   
  
  
He wasn't in his bed. Izumo stared at the made bed in Kotetsu's room, trying to understand what he was seeing. He'd gotten home a few hours after leaving the bar and had slipped past his best friend's room quietly, assuming he was either in that bed with someone or already asleep.   
  
It still annoyed him that he felt a pang when he thought of Tetsu in bed with someone else, but who was he to question it? Didn't he do the same damn thing? He shook those thoughts off. That wasn't a concern now.   
  
The fact was, the bed hadn't been used, there was no sign of his best friend and roommate and that had  _never_  happened before. He blinked into the room another minute before turning away. He couldn't very well panic over it. Just because it had never happened didn't mean it couldn't. He must have fallen asleep with whatever woman he'd gone home with.   
  
But he never had before. He didn't  _sleep_  with them. He fucked them, yes. There was no question about that. But he'd never actually  _slept_  with them and based on the time - nearly ten o'clock! - there was no doubt he was, by this time, asleep.   
  
Unless something happened to him and Izumo wouldn't let himself think that yet. If he didn't show up by noon, he'd have to see about going to the hospital to make sure he wasn't there. If he wasn't there, then the only conclusion he could come to was that he was with someone. He wouldn't be in jail, which is the only other thing that might be a concern. Because if he was in jail, he would have already sent word.   
  
No, the only two options that Izumo could think of were that he was either in the hospital or in some woman's bed. Annoyed with himself for worrying, he went into the kitchen to make tea and get a late breakfast.   
  
But after he ate the warmed up rice and miso soup and he still had no word from Tetsu, he was starting to get worried. He busied himself cleaning up the dishes, then forced himself to start laundry, but when noon came and went, he gave up. He was just getting to the door, ready to put his sandals on when the door opened and the very person he was worried about walked in.   
  
Izumo blinked at his best friend. His usually spiky hair was flat, he had marks all over his neck and the look on his face could only be described as 'well-fucked.' He swallowed and blinked at him.   
  
"I'm sorry, Zumo. I… um, fell asleep." And to his dismay, Tetsu blushed!   
  
Izumo's eyebrows shot up. "I… take it you went home with someone last night?"   
  
The other man nodded. "Yeah. And we're going out tonight again." He kicked his sandals off and moved further into their tiny living room. "Um, supposed to be at seven, but I wouldn't count on anything until probably eight or even later." He laughed.   
  
Izumo blinked. "Wait, are you meeting her?"   
  
"Um, no." Kotetsu paused. "No, um… they're picking me up."   
  
"Okay. Well, um…" Izumo blinked, surprised. "Congrats?"   
  
His friend smiled. "Thanks, Zumo. Now, I need more sleep. It was a, um, very long night." He dropped a hand on his friends shoulder, then headed in and disappeared into his room, closing the door behind him.   
  
Izumo stared after him.  _What the hell had that been all about? Who was she? And_ she _was picking_ him _up for an honest-to-God date?_  He shook his head. Something wasn't adding up, but he couldn't figure it out. Instead, he went to switch laundry loads and concentrate on that stuff, but the questions refused to go away.   
  
  
He wished he'd leave. It was cowardice, pure and simple. He wasn't ready to face what his best friend would say or think and he knew better than to think he could hide it from him. He'd  _know_  before too long.   
  
It  _wasn't_ because it was Kakashi. That, he was sure of. There was no doubt the man was a sex god. And anyone in their right mind would be thrilled to go out with him, whether it was just dinner or whether there was definitely going to be more after the fact. And he had no doubt there'd be more after the fact. No, it wasn't  _who_ specifically.   
  
But  _he'd_  just figured this out the night before. Or, at least, admitted it with a bit of prodding from the copy nin himself. And he wasn't quite ready to try to explain it all to his friend. He'd been vague that morning deliberately, to avoid the discussion and had somehow thought maybe Izumo would be gone by the time Kakashi picked him up - gulp! - for their date.   
  
Dear God, he was going on a date. With a man - with  _Kakashi_ . No, no, he couldn't think too much about it yet, he'd panic. And Kotetsu, for as crazy as he could be, didn't panic. Hell, his actual dating - not just taking someone home from the bar - had been rare enough as it was. So it was fair for it to be odd to just be dating, right?   
  
He shook his head at himself and glanced at the clock. He'd been ready - ridiculously, he knew better - by seven. He'd worn basic pants and a sweater, and had found himself weirdly nervous about that, before he got annoyed with himself. It was just a damned date.   
  
He glanced at the clock again; it had only moved by a minute. It was only seven-thirty and he knew better than to expect him already. The man would be late to his own funeral.   
  
He was sitting on the couch next to Izumo who was pretending to read a magazine. He knew better, the page hadn't turned since seven, but he kept up the pretense. The tension in the air could be cut by a knife, it was crazy. The stupid little clock on the wall was ticking so loudly, it, alone, was scraping along Kotetsu's nerves.   
  
But shockingly, just fifteen minutes later, he felt the chakra approach and heard the knock at the door. He glanced at Izumo, who's eyebrows were raised. Neither of them could miss the level of chakra being broadcasted, and they were doing it deliberately. Whoever was on the other side of the door was one damned powerful ninja.   
  
Kotetsu stood up and hurried over to the door. He glanced back over. "Well, um, I don't know when I'll get home, don't… don't worry about me, okay?"   
  
Izumo nodded mutely, and Kotetsu turned back to the door. He pulled it open to see Kakashi in civilian clothes of dress pants and dark grey sweater, complete with mask, leaned against the jamb, the happy crease to his visible eye. "Yo! Sorry I'm late, there was this old lady that needed help crossing the street and…"   
  
Kotetsu laughed, some of the tension in him easing. "Bullshit. Come on."   
  
Kakashi waved over Kotetsu's shoulder toward Izumo who waved back half heartedly, the shock clear on his face. Then the two of them turned toward the street, the door closing behind them. "He didn't know who you were going out with, did he?" Kakashi asked, quietly.   
  
Kotetsu's smiled faded and he shook his head. "No. But…," he paused, looking into Kakashi's good eye. "I want it clear that it's not because it's  _you_ . It's… you're male."   
  
Kakashi nodded. "Okay."   
  
He sighed. "I just figured out the gay thing last night, okay? I have no idea how to tell him yet." He swallowed and stopped at the edge of the street.   
  
Kakashi considered him a moment. "I can understand that, actually. It took me forever to tell the person who was closest to my best friend at the time. How about we just go get something to eat?"   
  
Kotetsu nodded. "Yeah, I… wasn't able to eat much of anything earlier."   
  
"Okay." He turned to walk down the street, taking Kotetsu's hand. "How about barbecue?"   
  
"That's fine with me." The younger man said, then glanced down at their hands. "I… gotta be honest, I have no idea what to expect."   
  
"What do you do when you go on dates?" Kakashi asked, not looking at him.   
  
Kotetsu cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. "Um, well, see… I don't do a lot of regular dating." He flushed, feeling like a total slut in that moment. "I did a lot of picking up in the bar and not much else, trying to deny what was going through my head, if you want the truth."   
  
"I always want the truth, and I actually understand that, too." They walked in silence for a while until they got to the restaurant. "I didn't date a lot, either for a long time."   
  
As they were seated, the younger man looked over at him. "Really?"   
  
"It's true. I spent too much time concentrating on my duties as a shinobi. I know you've heard the rumors and seen the tattoo, so you know I'm former ANBU. It doesn't leave time to date, and rather discourages it."   
  
"Yeah, I've heard the stories. About you specifically and about the group as a whole. There are a ton of rumors around it." He shook his head. "I have to admit to never really wanting to get into ANBU."   
  
"It's not for everyone." He paused as the waitress came to take their order. Kotetsu ordered sake, but promised himself he would  _not_  get drunk that night. He wanted his wits about him for once.   
  
"No, I guess it isn't. There are other chuunin who seem like they don't want to go farther than they have. Iruka-sensei, for one." Kotetsu said when she left.   
  
"Yeah, but he's an interesting one." Kakashi glanced up. "Have you heard that rumor?"   
  
The younger man raised his eyebrows. "I'm not sure what you mean. About Iruka-sensei?"   
  
"Yeah. I've known him for quite a long time." He considered the younger man a moment. "If I tell you this, it's in confidence, even if it's only a rumor."   
  
"Of course. I won't even tell Zumo."   
  
He sighed. "The rumor is that Iruka was ANBU at one point."   
  
Kotetsu's eyes widened. "I thought I heard something like that, that he had an… ability or something, but I've rarely seen him go out."   
  
"Yeah, they said he'd ended up on a really bad mission - the kind most shinobi don't recover from."   
  
"Geez. I knew he liked teaching, but I didn't realize." Kotetsu shook his head. "I figured his teaching was the only reason he didn't really go further. You know, so he didn't get pulled from the classroom." Kakashi looked surprised, but nodded. "Makes me even more glad to be where I am." He frowned. "I used to complain about not going out more, but Zumo reminds me that there's something to being the one here to help defend if things get ugly. And they certainly have often enough since we've been shinobi."   
  
"Izumo's right. Missions are missions and they're necessary for any hidden village to survive, but where would the people be if there weren't those who stayed behind to watch over them?" Kakashi paused to take a sip of his sake. "Anyway, first I was in ANBU, then, well, you know some of what's happened, through the rumor mill." He chuckled. "Some of it is greatly exaggerated, I assure you. I doubt I really know a thousand different jutsus. But anyway, I'd been so busy worrying about being a shinobi, I didn't date much."   
  
"You're certainly not the only one like that." Kotetsu stared into his own bottle. "Even those of us who aren't out all the time don't always think of it first."   
  
"Right. So, truth be told I haven't done a lot of dating, myself. But I suspect I've done more than you, at least when it comes to men." He paused as their food was brought out. When she'd left, he continued, "but here's how I've handled it. I asked you out, so I figure I can buy a meal and maybe we can do other date-type stuff, like talk, maybe get a drink or whatever. We can stop at the Krooked Kunai, if you want or if you're not comfortable showing up with me there yet -- and for the record, I understand -- we can go somewhere else for a drink. We could even go to a movie. Or we can eat dinner and just go back to my place. Since, I'm sure, you're not comfortable going back home."   
  
Kotetsu stared at him a moment. "Well, that's very… normal."   
  
Kakashi laughed. "I think that's one label that's rarely put on me." He continued chuckling a moment, then glanced up from his plate. "Does that sound good?"   
  
Kotetsu nodded, relaxing. "Yeah." He chuckled. "Shit. I think I'm just going crazy."   
  
"That may be, but I doubt it's just from this." Kakashi said and turned to his food.   
  
"Yeah, right…" Kotetsu laughed, shaking his head and concentrated on his own meal. This had to be the most bizarre night of his life. And so far, he was loving it. He asked himself again, what the hell had he gotten into?


	3. Chapter 3

Izumo was still sitting on the couch, staring at the closed door a good forty-five minutes later. Kotetsu was out on a date with Kakashi Hatake, Konoha's playboy. On a date. And had spent the night with him the night before. And obviously -  _very_ obviously, based on the marks near his neck, had sex with him.   
  
His best friend was gay? How did he not know this?  _You did._  His inner-self whispered.   
  
Did he? But he sat back and tried to think it through logically. The memory surfaced of the time they'd skipped school at the academy all those years ago and ended up in the woods together. He'd chalked that up to just… being young. An accident, but he'd wondered at the look his friend had given him.   
  
He'd wondered because he couldn't get that touch out of his own head.   
  
Then there were the few times over the years when he'd thought there was more to his goof-ball "love you, Zumo" comments then was obvious. Mostly because he knew that the few times  _he'd_  said something similar back, he'd been thinking more behind it. But even if there'd been more behind it, that didn't mean Tetsu was gay. Much less gay and interested in him, Zumo.   
  
No, that was certainly no guarantee of anything like Tetsu wanting or loving him. And he wasn't sure he wanted that anyway, right? But… then what? And why did it mess with him so much to see him date Kakashi?   
  
Kotetsu had been dating plenty of people over the years. Why would this bother him so much more? That didn't make any sense to him. Unless it was because Kakashi was  _the_  playboy of the village. The rumors surrounding his predatory behavior when it came to sex were legendary. The man chewed people up and spit them back out when it came to dating and sex. And if Tetsu had just come out of the closet, he was going to be really nervous and new to a lot of stuff. Someone like Kakashi would eat him alive.   
  
Izumo blushed at the images that conjured. He shoved them aside. It wasn't the right time for that sort of thing --not that he thought  _any_  time was the right one for that, but especially not now. No, he was just worried about his friend's heart. If he, Izumo gulped, if he fell in love with the copy nin, he'd get seriously hurt. Yes, that's what he was worried about.   
  
But what could he do? If he tried to convince him  _not_  to date Kakashi, then all he'd do is either make Tetsu think he had a problem with him being gay - which Izumo realized he didn't, though he wasn't ready to examine the reasons why he wasn't. Or he'd just end up pushing him further to the other man. He frowned and stared at the door again.  _  
  
Tetsu, what did you get yourself into?_   
  
  
The door slammed closed and Kotetsu was pushed up against the wall hard. "Fuck, Kakashi!" He groaned, yanking the mask down and capturing the copy nin's mouth. Kakashi was already working on the younger man's pants, and in just a few seconds, they were open and his hand was inside wrapped around Kotetsu's cock.   
  
"God, you feel good, fuck I want you  _now._ " The older man groaned, leaning in to kiss him again. Their tongues battled, and Kotetsu did his damndest to concentrate on the other man's pants. He managed, just barely, to get them open and, glancing up at the copy nin, he pulled the hand out of his own pants and dropped down in front of him.   
  
Kotetsu had learned that he loved this. Loved sucking cock, giving head, blow jobs, whatever you wanted to call it. He liked feeling it in his mouth, loved the sounds it pulled from the man he was doing it to. And when he managed to take Kakashi a little off guard - which he'd succeeded in doing once, he like the taste and feel of the cum in his mouth.   
  
"Not yet, please, not fucking yet," Kakashi groaned, tugging at the spiky ebony locks.   
  
Kotetsu let go and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. The other man's lips crashed into him again and he found himself pushed against the wall once more. His legs were lifted and he felt the fingers at his anus, stretching him. He moaned loudly, moving against them as much as he could. It wasn't enough, God, it wasn't enough, he needed more. " _Please…_ " he moaned quietly, and felt Kakashi shift, then the copy nin's cock was at his anus. "Oh fuck, that feels good… yes…" he hissed, trying to push himself down onto the cock against him.   
  
  
Then Kakashi stopped. "Fuck."   
  
Kotetsu blinked through the sexual haze. "What?"   
  
"No condom." He paused there, hovering just shy of giving the younger man what he so desperately needed - to feel that cock fill his ass.   
  
"Fuck, I'm clean, I swear, Kakashi." He closed his eyes, a blush staining his cheeks, groaning. Of course he's going to say something like that, especially now. Duh. "Look, I may have fucked around but I  _never_  did anything before without one."   
  
"You trust me?" Kakashi asked, staring intently at Kotetsu.   
  
"Damn, 'Kashi, would I be  _here_ ," he moved his hips a little, reminding the older man of his obviously vulnerable position, "if I didn't?" He met the other man's gaze and waited.   
  
And apparently whatever he'd seen was enough because he slowly pushed into him. "Oh fuck fuck that's good. Harder, dammit,  _God…_ " he moaned as the older man started to move.   
  
"Patience. I'm not taking you to the fucking hospital." But even he couldn't hold out long and a moment later, Kotetsu got what he wanted. Kakashi started nearly pounding into him, moving fast, thrusting hard. He wrapped the hand not supporting the younger man around his cock and started stroking him and Kotetsu moaned loudly.   
  
"Fuck. oh fuck. I'm going to come that way." His back slapped against the wall, his fingers dug into the other man's shoulders as he held on and he tightened his legs around his waist.   
  
"Come, Tetsu, come." Kakashi groaned and the younger man lost it.   
  
"FUCK! Yes!" His orgasm hit him hard and he came, his hands gripping the sweater tightened into fists, his cum covering both of them, shouting Kakashi's name.   
  
The older man let go then, thrusting hard once more, Kotetsu's name a loud answering cry. And the younger man got another first that night. The feel of cum filling him up. And oh god, it felt good.   
  
They stayed that way a moment, both of them fighting for breath. "Wow. That was… different," he managed, still unable to think clearly. "Good, but different."   
  
"Yeah." Kakashi said, his breath still short. "It's a rare thing for me to go without one."   
  
Kotetsu swallowed hard. And he'd done that with him. Whoa. The significance of that was not lost on him. Kakashi trusted him. That was something not easily given with ninja, even ninja of the same village. He'd known he trusted the other man. It's hard to put yourself in the position that Kotetsu did with him - both literally and figuratively - and not trust. He looked up into the mismatched eyes. The look in them was inscrutable, intent and then Kakashi looked away.   
  
He eased back and let him down. Kotetsu's legs didn't want to work right away, so he helped to hold him up. "Are you okay?" The copy nin asked, quietly.   
  
Kotetsu nodded. "Yeah." He paused, considering what to do. Something was… off about him and while Kotetsu could be an insensitive ass at times, he wasn't a complete jerk. He leaned forward and put his lips onto the copy nin's. Kakashi wrapped his arms around the other man and responded with a ferocity that surprised him. Fingers threaded through ebony and silver hair and they stayed that way a moment, just kissing. It wasn't the arousing kind, wasn't the precursor to sex. This was different. The kind of kiss that Kotetsu had rarely participated in.   
  
But it was, apparently, what Kakashi needed. Because when they broke apart and he looked up again, whatever the expression was that had been in those eyes earlier was gone.   
  
"Let's… get cleaned up, hmm?" Kakashi took his hand after they'd wiggled out of their clothes and headed toward the bathroom.   
  
  
Izumo stared morosely into his bottle. He couldn't get it out of his head where Tetsu was that night, who he was with. He was annoyed with himself, frustrated that he hadn't figured some of this out before. His best friend! He should have known _something_  was up!   
  
They could hold entire conversations in looks and hand signals. Kotetsu could practically read his mind at times and he  _thought_  he could do the same with him. He'd known the other man since they were two. This wasn't something that could easily be hidden.   
  
He swallowed hard. To be honest with himself, half the reason he was so worried about it was because he was afraid of what it would do to their friendship. All this time, all the dating they'd done, all the women that had come and gone, he'd never really thought Tetsu would fall in love with any of them and, as such, never cause any problems with their friendship.   
  
But he'd never hidden anything from him before. They'd  _always_  talked about their dates, about the women they went out with. And maybe part of the reason he hadn't said anything was because Tetsu was afraid of his reaction - to being gay, that is, but even if he hadn't told him specifically who, it bothered him that he hadn't trusted him to mention, at least, that it was a man.   
  
He sighed and drained the bottle. What else didn't he know? What else had he maybe ignored because he didn't want to admit that things might not be so perfect between them? And if that was only half the problem, what was the other half? He wasn't quite ready to answer  _that_  yet. He glanced up and signaled to Aio for another drink.   
  
"Hello, Izumo-san," Iruka said, taking a seat next to him at the bar.   
  
"Hello, Iruka-san." Izumo looked over to see the teacher in civilian clothes, his hair down and a smile on his face. He'd never quite noticed the hair before. "Your hair is pretty," he blurted, then turned bright red. Geez, he must have had more to drink than he realized. He leaned his head forward to hide his face with his hair, thankful he'd left his headband at home.   
  
"Thank you." Iruka's voice held a minor note of amusement, but he wasn't laughing, at least. "I've never heard it referred to as that before." He paused and Izumo heard the click as a glass was set on the bar. "Want to talk about what's wrong?"   
  
He looked up at the gentle tone and swallowed, frowning. He had no idea how much to say. Tetsu hadn't exactly come out publicly or anything, at least, as far as he knew. And he realized he  _didn't_ know, which only succeeded in frustrating him further. Twelve hours ago, he would have said he absolutely knew everything there was to know about his best friend. He sighed.   
  
"Is this about Kakashi and Kotetsu?" Iruka asked gently.   
  
"Um. You… know?" Izumo blinked at him.   
  
"They were seen leaving the bar together last night." The younger man frowned and Izumo forced himself to look the teacher over carefully.   
  
"Oh. I… didn't know that. But… just because they left together…" he started, but Iruka was shaking his head.   
  
"Kakashi had his arm around Kotetsu," Iruka said, looking…upset. And it clicked for Izumo. The teacher liked Kakashi!   
  
He'd known that Iruka was gay.  _Everyone_  knew he was. He'd never tried to hide it, claiming it was his choice and no one's business. And interestingly, no one really made a big deal about it. He wasn't the only gay shinobi, not the first and certainly not the last. Izumo wondered briefly if Kakashi's reputation had something to do with that, then shoved the thought aside. He didn't want to think about Kakashi any more than he already was.   
  
He swallowed. "I… didn't know that, either. I mean, I knew they were together last night, but I didn't know that they'd been so, erm, obvious, when they left."   
  
"Yes, it was hard to miss," Iruka said, ruefully. "Though to be fair, Kotetsu looked a little stunned and more than a little surprised by the whole thing."   
  
"Huh." Izumo turned back to his drink. "I thought I knew him. Knew everything there was to know about him."   
  
"I think there's a really good chance that you still do," Iruka said, looking over at the other man. At Izumo's raised eyebrows, he said, "Maybe he didn't know himself until last night?"   
  
"How could he not know? I mean, this isn't something you suddenly decide, is it?" Izumo asked, then realized that probably wasn't a very polite question. "I'm sorry, that's not really my business."   
  
Iruka laughed. "It's okay. Look, I've known for a long time that I much prefer men to women. But no, it wasn't something I just decided one night. I wasn't sitting in my living room or the bar or the mission office once day and thought, 'hmm, I'm going to start dating men instead of women'." He paused to take a drink. "But we can deny a lot in ourselves, ignore things that are obvious to everyone but us. Like the fact that I'm guessing this isn't just about your concern for your friend or the state of your friendship."   
  
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm worried about Tetsu." He turned back to his drink. "He doesn't know what he's getting into with that man."   
  
"Oh?" Iruka asked.   
  
"Well, you have to have heard the rumors. The man  _is_  known as Konoha's playboy." Izumo frowned. "Tetsu isn't ready for someone like that. Not sure he'd ever be."   
  
"Ah. Yes, I'm aware of the rumors. I'm not sure how much of it's true, but…" the younger man shrugged. "But there's more than that, too, Izumo."   
  
He sighed. "Maybe. I don't know. I've never thought about it. I mean…" he blushed, glancing at Iruka again. "I'm not. At least, I don't think I am. Hell, I don't know."   
  
Iruka's eyebrows went up. "I'm not quite sure I got all of that."   
  
Izumo's color darkened. "I mean, I've never thought about liking men."   
  
"Ah." Iruka said, nodding. "Yes, I can see how that might be confusing." Iruka shifted on the stool, turning more toward him. "Let me ask you this… and we'll stick with Kotetsu for a moment -- have you ever thought about him in a way  _other_  than just your friend?"   
  
Izumo knew the look on his face was going to give him away. The first thing he thought about was that day in the woods all those years ago. The fact that he'd held his friend's hand, well aware he was and been thinking about him, not the magazine, when he'd reached his release.   
  
He paused, then, to think too about the fact that he'd caught himself thinking of Tetsu more than once in the middle of sex. He'd gotten pissed at himself for it, it wasn't fair to the person he'd been with and he'd left shortly thereafter, but he'd done it. Well, damn. There was no denying that he really did think of Tetsu in other ways.   
  
He sighed. "Yeah." He swallowed and glanced over. "Look, I don't want you to think I… have a problem with it or anything like that."   
  
Iruka shook his head. "No, I know you don't. You wouldn't be sitting here, calmly discussing it with me if you did." He smiled and Izumo noticed that it was a nice smile. Oh shit, he wasn't thinking of Iruka that way. No. No no. No.   
  
He turned back to stare ahead instead and took another drink. "Is it a bad thing for you?" The teacher asked.   
  
He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. "No, not really. I mean, I was honest when I said I just hadn't thought about it. I guess… I guess I didn't  _let_ myself think about it, but…"   
  
"Well." Iruka said, draining his glass and signaling for another. "There are a few ways you can be sure about it."   
  
Izumo's head whipped around and this time Iruka did laugh. "Calm down, I'm not going to drag you out of the bar and molest you in an alleyway."   
  
He blushed. He'd had that very image flash into his brain. Which spawned a lot of questions about how that sort of thing worked. There were times his quick mind annoyed him.   
  
"Though, if you really wanted to find out that way, I wouldn't turn you down." Iruka whispered in his ear.   
  
Oh fuck, he  _was_  thinking about Iruka that way. Because he couldn't mistake the way his body reacted to that comment and, of course, the images that spawned. He swallowed hard and looked over at him. He was too close, that was the first thing Izumo thought.  _Way too close._   
  
They didn't say anything for a moment, just stayed that way, a very short distance apart, both of them seeming to be having a very difficult time breathing all of a sudden. Then those chocolate-colored eyes darted around. "We're drawing attention," he said quietly. "How about we at least move this to a booth?"   
  
Through sheer force of will, Izumo sat back. He didn't even remember leaning forward! Iruka motioned to one of the booths behind them, offering a bit more privacy. Not much, but they were at least not quite so out in the open.   
  
Iruka slid in and scooted over and Izumo sat next to him. It didn't even occur to him to sit on the other side of the table. He decided to try for a personal question of his own. "How long have you liked Kakashi?"   
  
The teacher glanced at him before taking another sip of his drink. "Um… probably close to ten years. At least, I've known him that long and there's always been something of an attraction for me there."   
  
He shifted on the bench, turning toward the other man. "Have you ever told him?"   
  
Iruka shook his head. "No." He chuckled. "He doesn't think much of me."   
  
Izumo's eyebrows went up. "How do you know that?"   
  
To the older man's surprise, Iruka chuckled. "He's told me. Maybe not in those words, but he's said basically that. I…well, I haven't gone out of my way to endear myself to him, that's for sure. I sort of called him on the carpet when he put Naruto and the others up for the chuunin exams. In front of the exam committee."   
  
"I remember that." Izumo said, thinking back. "He kind of went off on you, didn't he?"   
  
Iruka nodded, frowning. "Yeah. And though we've said a few polite words since then, it hasn't been much."   
  
"Huh. Well, that sucks. I'm sorry for bringing it up." Izumo sighed, then drained his glass. "We're both in kind of bad shape, aren't we?"   
  
"Yeah." Iruka looked up at him thoughtfully. "Look, do you want to just… hang out for a while? Be friends?"   
  
Izumo blinked at him a moment, and he couldn't stop his brain from jumping from friendship with this man to wondering what sex was like. With a man - with Iruka. He blushed.   
  
"I didn't mean we have to go have sex or anything like that." Iruka said, quickly, correctly interpreting the blush, then paused. "Not that I wouldn't want to… I mean, I would, I just… shit." He stopped and closed his eyes.   
  
Izumo watched as the blush spread on Iruka's cheeks.  _He finds me attractive!_  And before he could stop himself, his one uncovered eye travelled down the other man's body. And his reacted to it.  _Shit! Shit shit shit! Well, hell, I do like men. Or, at least, I find them attractive. Especially this one._ He swallowed hard, his quick mind kicking in again. "Iruka-san… do you know the other rumor floating around about Kakashi?"   
  
The teacher's eyes snapped open. "Which one? There are a bunch."   
  
"Well, besides the one that says he knows a thousand jutsus. There's the one that says he's been interested in a certain person. A particular chuunin."   
  
Iruka blinked, confused. "Okay?"   
  
"I think it's you."   
  
Iruka shook his head. "I doubt that. But even so, why… why not just say something?"   
  
Izumo shrugged. "How would I know? I'm not exactly adept at this stuff, am I?"   
  
The younger man chuckled. "I'm not sure any of us are. So… what are you saying?"   
  
"What if… what if we did… um… start going out or… something. Maybe it would draw their attention."   
  
Iruka's eyes widened. "Make them jealous?"   
  
Izumo shrugged. "It might not work, I doubt it would completely backfire, though and it's not like… well, it's not like I don't find you attractive or anything. I mean, I do. So even if it didn't work, we could still maybe be friends and have some fun together. You know, be together…" His mouth snapped closed, his cheeks darkening.   
  
"Okay." _  
  
Wait. Did I just ask a gay man out? Holy shit, I did! And damned if I'm not looking forward to it._  "Okay?"   
  
Iruka smiled. "Yeah. Let's… go out."   
  
Izumo stared again, swallowing, trying to moisten his suddenly dry throat. He blushed. "How… how does that kind of thing work?"   
  
Iruka raised his eyebrows. "What kind of thing?"   
  
"I mean… dating, you know, with both of us…erm… being men and all. And… getting this whole thing started. Might as well make it as realistic as possible." He desperately wished he could sink through the bench. Nothing seemed to be coming out right.   
  
Iruka considered him a moment, "well, we could leave together, maybe, you know, holding hands or touching or something. That would be a way to start the rumors."   
  
Izumo nodded. "Okay."   
  
"As for actual dates, well, that's up to us." He shrugged. "The last person I dated preferred to pay for our dates, open doors, that sort of thing, but he was also in general a little more dominant all around in our relationship." He paused. "I guess when I think about it, that's where I tended to be most of the time - the…" he paused, blushing. "The non-dominant role. Some call it 'bottom,' though that's usually more about the physical relationship. I just didn't think about it. It's not something I consciously decided. I mean, I guess part of it  _is_  preference when it comes to the physical side of things, but… the rest…" he shrugged again. "The rest is really up to us."   
  
"So it just sort of… happens?"   
  
Iruka nodded, blushing. "Well, it did for me, at least."   
  
"Huh." Izumo stared into his empty bottle for a moment. "So, want to get out of here? Maybe some of this won't be so awkward if we didn't have an audience."   
  
Iruka's lips twisted. "You ready for this?"   
  
"Yeah, I think so." He stood up and waited for the younger man to slide out of the booth, then, glancing at him - and realizing he was taller than him by nearly ten centimeters - he swallowed his nerves and put his hand on Iruka's lower back.   
  
Iruka glanced down at him and Izumo raised his eyebrows, but the taller man just smiled. They turned toward the door and Izumo was very aware of the eyes on them as they left.


	4. Chapter 4

When they got to the street, Iruka turned to him. "Do you really want to go somewhere? I don't mind if you just wanted to go home."   
  
Izumo stared at him a moment when he realized he hadn't moved his hand. But, strangely, he didn't want to. Or maybe it wasn't so strange, after all. He shoved the thought aside and left his hand where it was. "Well… my apartment isn't far. I don't have any whiskey, but I'm pretty sure we've got a bottle of sake left in the kitchen. Why don't we just go… talk or something? But… I want to. Do you?"   
  
Iruka nodded. "Yeah," he said, smiling. "I do."   
  
  
The walk to the apartment he shared with Tetsu was not nearly as awkward as he thought it might be. In fact, it felt a lot like any other time he brought a date home. He had to admit part of it was probably the fact that he'd actually asked Iruka about some of it and already knew a bit about how things worked. Not that he planned, necessarily, to jump the guy as soon as they were in the door.   
  
Tetsu may have been pretty base when it came to sex and bringing women home, but Izumo wasn't the same way. He may have known that Iruka would have sex with him, if he wanted to, but that didn't mean he was going to do little more than unlock the door. He loved Tetsu - he really did, even if it wasn't the kind that meant they'd suddenly start sharing a bedroom - but he could be something of an ass when it came to dating.   
  
If, God help them, they managed to get to that part, he was going to have to do something about that. Shaking his head at his train of thought, he stepped aside to let Iruka in. "Um, have a seat, I'll get that sake."   
  
"Thanks," the younger man said with a smile, kicking his sandals off and turning to the main room.   
  
Izumo paused to look him over once more. Oh, hell yeah, definitely sexy. Oh boy. He blew out a breath, turned into the kitchen and busied himself with the bottles and heating up the sake. When he came back out, Iruka was on one end of the couch, turned a bit and watching him, the look in his eye unmistakable. He tried to suppress his blush, grateful yet again that his hair hid part of his face.   
  
He handed one of the bottles to him and sat down, turning so they were facing. "So, did you hear that Anko and Gai are dating?" He asked, trying to keep things light.   
  
"No. Really?" Iruka asked, raising his eyebrows.   
  
"Yeah. Apparently, and I'm not sure I really want to know this, but apparently he likes her whips."   
  
"Eww eww eww. I did not need that image in my head." Iruka said, drinking at his sake.   
  
Izumo laughed. "Yeah, I guess there are some things about the green beast I could be happy never knowing."   
  
"Wow. I mean, I guess we all suspected Anko was into that sort of thing, but to  _hear_ it…" he shook his head and Izumo watched his hair swing around a little from it. He was close enough to catch a slight whiff of citrus. Iruka tilted his head. "Can I ask you a question?"   
  
"Sure." Izumo shook his own head, trying to refocus. The man was seducing  _him_ without doing a single damned thing.   
  
"Why do you cover your eye?" Iruka asked, quietly.   
  
Izumo swallowed hard, staring into his bottle. "Um…"   
  
"I'm sorry, never mind," he hurried to say.   
  
"No, it's okay. If… if we're going to make people think we're dating, that we're… boyfriends," he stumbled over the word, "it's the kind of thing you would know." He paused. "My father is dead. I think that's a fairly well-known fact. Killed on a mission years ago." Iruka nodded. "Well, my… mom took it very hard. She's a ninja, too, but it's not something that I think anyone can just easily accept." He glanced up, knowing that Iruka understood.   
  
"I know," he said, softly.   
  
"I'm… sorry. Um… but she really didn't deal with it well. She got kind of clingy, which, now that I'm an adult, I can understand a lot better. Maybe not perfectly, I haven't had any kind of relationship like she must have had with my dad, but…" he paused. "Anyway, one night she got drunk. She… called me by his name. I wasn't even ten yet and it freaked me out." He took another drink from his bottle. "When I think about it now, it seems kind of silly, but it's always been there. Now, I don't feel right without it there." He glanced up at Iruka. "Tetsu doesn't really know. I think he suspects, but he's never asked."   
  
"You didn't have to tell me." Iruka frowned. "But I don't think it's silly. We all deal with things in our own ways. I'm sorry."   
  
"No, really, it's okay." He took a deep breath. "It's kind of weird to talk about it. Truthfully, I don't consciously think about it all that much anymore."   
  
"I can believe that." He considered him a moment. "Everyone has secrets, things they don't tell just anyone. Including me."   
  
Izumo raised his eyebrows. "You don't have to tell me."   
  
"It's fair." He unbuttoned his shirt and Izumo stared a moment. Then he did something that really shocked him. He shrugged it off of his left shoulder and there, on Iruka's arm was none other than an ANBU tattoo. He looked up at his face, then back at the tattoo again.   
  
"Um… can't you get in trouble for telling me that? Not that I'm upset or anything…" He smiled.   
  
Iruka shook his head. "I left. Several years ago. I had a… bad mission, bad even for ANBU and I left shortly thereafter."   
  
"Wow. I always thought it was one of those things you got into and didn't leave." He shook his head. "I'm very sorry for what you had to go through."   
  
"It was a long time ago." He said, his eyes slightly unfocused and Izumo imagined he was probably remembering. He'd seen that look on some of the jounin when they'd returned from bad missions. He reached out and touched the other man, running his hand softly down his jaw. "Iruka?" The other man looked up at him again and the unfocused look seemed to fade.   
  
They stared at each other for another moment, then Izumo felt himself leaning forward. He paused, just a few centimeters from Iruka's lips. He glanced up into the brown eyes, then back down and closed the distance.   
  
Barely a touch. Barely a brush of those lips against his, but it was enough to pull him in and make him want so much more. They broke apart, breathing uneven and he pushed his fingers through that hair. God, that hair. Iruka's hands went through his and their lips met again. He traced his tongue along the other man's bottom lip and he opened to him.   
  
He'd always been a bit more aggressive than his partners when it came to kissing and it didn't even occur to him to do it differently this time. He slid his tongue into the other man's mouth, slowly at first, tasting the sake, the whiskey and something else, something sweet. Something, Izumo realized, was probably all Iruka.   
  
He took his time with it, trying different things, learning what the other man liked. He liked a combination of long slow kisses and light nibbles. And he discovered that Iruka was just as good at learning. He found Izumo's weakness quickly, exploiting the fact that he liked his tongue sucked on lightly.   
  
They pulled back again, struggling for air and Izumo paused. Deciding to let instinct guide him as much as he could, he started making a trail along the younger man's chin, pausing to inhale his scent when he got to that hair. God, that hair was something. He found a spot behind Iruka's ear that made him gasp and he used it, tormenting it with his lips, then working his way down that neck.   
  
He felt the younger man's arms go around him, tugging at the shirt he was wearing. He pulled back and their eyes met. He took it off, tossing it to the side, then moved back in, resuming his trail of kisses. The bare hands on his skin felt so good and he pondered it briefly. They were different, very different than what he was used to. Not just in size, though that was obvious, but they were rough. Even as a teacher, he knew Iruka did his share of missions, his share of rough jobs. And the friction over his back felt really good.   
  
They slid down over the muscles to rest at his waistband and he pulled back again to stare into the other man's eyes. Their lips crashed together and this kiss heated fast. He nearly yanked Iruka against him, his own arms going around him, pressing that chest against his own. "You feel good…" he moaned quietly.   
  
This was answered with a moan from Iruka and he started nipping and nibbling his way down Izumo's neck. His head fell back, giving him better access and it didn't register at first that his hair fell away from his face.   
  
"Much better," Iruka whispered and he opened his eyes to see the younger man looking at him. That's when he realized he was seeing him with  _both_ of his eyes. The other man reached up and brushed the hair back a little more, then leaned in and kissed him again.   
  
He forgot all about his hair, all about everything but those lips, god, those lips. He got frustrated with just how far apart they were, wanting to feel more of that body against him, and he pulled on Iruka, both of them crashing back onto the couch. He felt the other man's arousal against his own and moaned. He bucked gently against it and watched as Iruka's eyes closed, too, from the feel.   
  
God, he could come just from that. He didn't want to, though. He wanted more, so much more. He stopped moving, concentrating again on kissing,  _just_  kissing. When had kissing been this good? Just lips moving, tongues warring?   
  
SHIT! He felt the chakra signature with just seconds to spare. He made a quick decision, gathered chakra of his own and transported them to his bed. Iruka's eyebrows went up and he smiled. "Anxious?"   
  
He cleared his throat. "Tetsu's home."   
  
"Ah. Do… you want me to go?" Iruka asked and Izumo couldn't decipher the look in his eyes. He paused for only a brief few seconds before shaking his head. No, he really didn't want him to leave.   
  
"No... I really don't." He swallowed his doubts, reached up and brushed Iruka's hair away from his face, then pulled him down for another kiss. He heard Tetsu pause outside of his door, but he ignored it, concentrating instead on the man in his arms. He focused more on those incredible lips, that crazy tongue. And after the briefest of hesitations, it was returned.   
  
They heard the retreating footsteps and Iruka leaned up, glancing away from him. "You don't have to… you don't have to keep doing this, you know."   
  
Izumo stared at him a moment, then reached up and turned his head back again. "Didn't I tell you to stay? Does it feel…" he bucked against him, "like I don't want to?"   
  
"No. No, it definitely feels like you want to." He paused, looking over Izumo's face carefully. "Have you ever… done anything with a man?" He asked and Izumo shook his head.   
  
"Nothing… well, I'll tell you later, but nothing that applies here, I can promise you that. But I figure you have and I can learn." He chuckled. "You  _are_  a teacher, aren't you?"   
  
Iruka laughed, delightedly. "I've never taught anything like this."   
  
  
Kotetsu sat bolt-upright on his bed. That was a male voice. There was no mistaking that. The person in Zumo's room with him was male. He blushed, but moved closer to the wall and leaned in, putting his ear against it. "I've never taught anything like this."   
  
His eyes widened and he pulled back quickly. Iruka?!? No way! Shit! He was in there with Iruka! And that definitely sounded like a sexy laugh. Oh God, what was he going to do? He couldn't stay there and listen to them have sex. No way, not in a million years.   
  
He refused to examine  _why_  he didn't want to hear them having sex. He had Kakashi, didn't he? Even if he'd gotten called away for a mission. But he'd  _had_ Kakashi, or, rather, Kakashi had had him, before he left. More than once. In more than one way. Kotetsu shifted his thinking carefully.   
  
No, no, he could  _not_  stay there and listen. He went out to the living room, but if he listened carefully - hell, even if he tried not to listen, there were still sounds that leaked out. How had he never noticed that before?   
  
Because Izumo had only  _rarely_  ever brought someone home. And the few times he did, Kotetsu himself had been very wrapped up in what  _he'd_  been doing and so, hadn't paid attention. He didn't want to leave because the only place he could really think to go was the Krooked Kunai. He had a feeling he'd spend what was left of the night hearing about either his relationship with Kakashi or about Iruka and Izumo leaving the bar together.   
  
Oh shit. Well, he couldn't stay. Regardless of where he went, he had to go, he could _not_  hear this. He pulled his sandals on quickly and slipped out as quietly as he could.   
  
  
Izumo used the laughter to his advantage, hooked a leg around Iruka's and rolled them over so that he was above the other man. It put more pressure on their hard cocks and he groaned and had to take a moment to refocus himself. Dear God, that felt… insane. Unconsciously, he rubbed himself against the other man.   
  
"That feels  _so_  good," Iruka moaned. "I could come just from that, but I don't want to. Don't want this over too soon." So saying, he wrapped his arms around Izumo and grabbed onto his butt, holding him still.   
  
Izumo worked to get himself together. He felt like some genin, fumbling around with his first encounter. In a way, he was, the first one with a man, but God nothing had felt like this before. He dropped his head on Iruka's shoulder, trying to simply slow his breathing a little bit and see if he could find his sanity.   
  
He gave himself a moment as they both tried to just calm down some, then he leaned up and captured the other man's lips again. He used everything he'd learned so far, and was rewarded with the nails scraping down his back, those long legs wrapping around him and a low moan coming from the other man. They broke apart and Iruka whispered, "I want you inside me. Badly."   
  
Izumo groaned and pulled back. He fumbled with the button on Iruka's pants, then pulled at them as the younger man lifted his hips. When he stripped them and his underwear away, tossing it off the edge of the bed, though, he found himself staring at the straining cock in front of him. It was slightly smaller than his, but the size didn't really register to him. He was just too focused on the glistening tip, the pre-cum dripping slowly down the underside. He glanced up at Iruka, then leaned down to it.   
  
He wrapped his hand around it gently, stroking it once or twice, keeping his eyes on the other man's face. Iruka closed his eyes and he could see the struggle the younger man was going through to hold on. But Izumo wanted to taste, feel this against his lips, in his mouth and so he reached out tentatively with his tongue.   
  
Oh, that was good. He heard an answering gasp from above him, and he spent some time learning this, too. He had been complimented a time or two on that sort of thing when he'd been with women. He'd done it, because they'd liked it, but he'd never quite enjoyed it the way he was with this. He moved his mouth down over Iruka's length, swallowing it as much as he could.   
  
He found his gag reflex pretty quickly, but discovered that he could work around it if he relaxed his throat muscles. He worked on the other man, thoroughly loving the taste and feel, and especially the reactions Iruka had to what he did. He paid attention, finding the little things that he reacted to, the moans the came when he did something right.   
  
But before too long, he felt the younger man tugging at his hair. "Please, I'm going to come, dear God  _stop,_ " he said on a loud groan. Izumo considered ignoring him, but remembered Iruka saying he wanted more, wanted to feel him inside, so he let go and sat up.   
  
He pulled his own pants and boxers off, and tossed them aside. He paused to reach into the bedside table and pulled out a condom. Iruka took it from him, leaning up and capturing his lips in another of those insane kisses. He was so focused on it that Izumo almost didn't register that the latex was rolled down over his cock and onto him.   
  
Iruka laid back and pulled him down with him and their lips crashed together again. Izumo couldn't seem to get enough of this, just  _kissing_ dear God, it was crazy. He ran his hands up over Iruka's chest to bury them again in that incredible hair.   
  
They broke apart briefly and Iruka groaned. "Fuck. I don't suppose you have any lube, do you?"   
  
It took him a second to register the question. Duh, that  _didn't_ work the same as it did for women. "Actually, I do. I had a few girlfriends who liked anal." He leaned over and dug the bottle out of the back of his drawer, handing it to the younger man.   
  
"Thank God," he muttered, opening it. "Give me your fingers." Izumo did and Iruka squeezed a bit of the liquid over them. "You have to stretch me open a bit." He guided Izumo's hand down between his legs. This time he was glad for his quick mind, and Izumo caught on. He started with one, but realized quickly he didn't need to. He'd figure some of that out later, he was too far gone at the moment to wonder too much.   
  
He turned back and took those lips again as he did his best to open and stretch Iruka to get him ready to take him. He felt the muscles twitch a little and knew that the other man was making a conscious effort to relax, too. Grateful he had a bit of experience with anal, he got to a point he thought might be good and removed them.   
  
He pulled back, grabbed the bottle to make sure he was covered, then, meeting Iruka's eyes, he positioned himself. The younger man lifted his legs and Izumo started to push into him. God, this felt so incredibly good. It was different, even, than anal with a woman, but he didn't want to think about that in that moment, so he shoved it aside and concentrated, instead, on Iruka. He was tight, maybe tighter than he should be and the older man had a moment to hope he didn't hurt him.   
  
But God it was insane, how good it felt. He took his time, slowly entering him until finally - finally, he was completely buried. "Oh God, that's incredible. You're…" he swallowed, trying to remember how to breathe, "you're so tight."   
  
Iruka himself seemed to be having trouble breathing. "You…" he blushed. "You're not exactly small." Izumo blushed, too, but then Iruka shifted his hips a little and the older man understood he wanted him to start moving.   
  
He took it slow, wanting, more than anything, for this to last. His first time,  _their_  first time together. And despite being new and feeling completely inept, he wanted, needed Iruka to enjoy it, too.   
  
They found a rhythm, despite his inexperience with it and he was surprised when he saw the younger man moan loudly when he hit something inside. Then he realized he'd hit his prostate. So he shifted, changing the angle a little and managed to hit it again. When he concentrated, he could rub it just right, or, at least, that's what he thought, as Iruka started to make the most beautiful sounds. His legs tightened around Izumo's waist and those nails clawed down his back again.   
  
But he wasn't going to hold on long and despite how good it seemed that it was for Iruka, he had a feeling that alone wasn't enough. He channeled a bit of chakra to help hold himself up and he wrapped one hand around the other man's cock. He started stroking it, concentrating on trying to match their rhythm the best he could and it helped him hold off a little better. He really wanted to see and feel him come before he let go himself.   
  
"Fuck. Oh god, Izumo!" He shouted, his hands grabbing onto the headboard for purchase.   
  
Izumo leaned down and whispered into his ear, "Zumo. Call me Zumo when you come." He tightened his grip a little on Iruka's cock and stroked it just a little faster, then shifted again, hitting his prostate directly. He was having such a hard time holding on himself that if Iruka didn't come soon, he was going to lose it anyway, despite his best efforts. "Come, please, Iruka, come…" he nearly begged.   
  
"Fuck. ZUMO!" He screamed when that spot was hit once more and Izumo felt the warm fluid spill out over his hand and spray their chests.   
  
The sight of his lover coming was all it took. He thrust hard once more into the other man and his own orgasm crashed into him. It was incredibly hard, so hard he thought he'd lost the ability to see and hear. "IRUKA!"   
  
He vaguely registered collapsing onto the other man, was only barely aware of the legs tightening and the arms coming around him. He had no idea how long he lay there, trying to remember how to breathe, how to think. He realized he was probably very heavy and tried to lean up.   
  
"Don't go anywhere yet. This feels good in itself." Iruka whispered.   
  
Izumo held the other man as much as he could from his awkward position and looked into the other man's face. The look in Iruka's eyes couldn't be deciphered, but something was wrong, he knew it. "Iruka?"   
  
He looked away, staring instead at the ceiling and shook his head. "Nothing. I'm fine."   
  
Izumo looked at him a moment, then pulled out of him and rolled to the other man's side. He pulled Iruka into his arms and tilted his face up, forcing him to look at him. "Talk to me. Did… did I do something wrong?"   
  
Iruka shook his head quickly. "No. No, you didn't." He took a deep breath. "I'm… not sure if this was the best idea."   
  
Izumo raised an eyebrow. "If what was? Having sex? Or something else?"   
  
Iruka swallowed hard, still refusing to meet his eyes. "Izumo… who were you thinking of?"   
  
The older man blinked at him a moment, completely confused. Then it hit him. They'd started this whole thing with the intention of making the other two jealous. And the idea that maybe Iruka had been thinking of Kakashi instead of him hurt, even if their intention was, in the end, to get the other two's attention. So he had a feeling that Iruka thought he, Izumo, was thinking of Kotetsu instead.   
  
He looked up, trying to find the right words. "Iruka, since we've been in here, there's only one person I've thought about. I… know why we started this, I know what our goal… is…" he stumbled a little over that, but refused to examine it further at that moment. "But… despite that, you're the only one I've thought about, hell, most of the evening since you started talking to me in the bar." He paused, thinking through his own screwed up feelings. "Who were you thinking of?"   
  
He glanced down to see Iruka staring at his chest. "You. And, maybe, that's part of the problem."   
  
Izumo raised an eyebrow. "How is that?'   
  
"If… if we started this with the intention of making them jealous, and we… we have a problem with us thinking about them instead of each other…" he trailed off with a shrug.   
  
Right. If they did end up caring about each other and they succeeded, then what? That hadn't entered his mind when he'd come up with the plan. He frowned. It was too late to turn back and not have sex that night. That was done.   
  
But now what? Could they really just pretend to date or something? He had a feeling if he was alone with this man for any length of time, he'd have a hard time _not_  wanting him. So that wasn't likely to work. Because they couldn't 'date' and not at least make it look like they were spending time alone. No one would believe for one minute, especially after leaving the bar that night the way they did, that they were happy just going to dinner or whatever.   
  
He glanced down to see Iruka watching him. "Do you love him?"   
  
Iruka frowned. "I don't know, to tell you the truth. I really haven't been given the chance to find out."   
  
Izumo thought it over a little more. "What if, instead of pretending to date, we really do?" When Iruka looked up at that, he said, "look, Tetsu's my best friend and that's not likely to ever change, but I don't know if I love him that way, either. Maybe we can just give each other a chance. If it doesn't work out, it doesn't. If they get jealous and we're both happy about it, maybe we'll just… be happy about it. In… In the mean time, we'll just make a promise that when we're here, in bed, we're with each other."   
  
Iruka stared at him a moment. "I think we can do that." He ran a hand down Izumo's face and the older man bent to him, kissing him again. They got lost in the kiss for a while, then pulled back. "We're alone again. Want to go get cleaned up a bit? And… do you want to stay?"   
  
Iruka smiled. "Yeah. I think I'd like that."   
  
"Well, then, let's see about that shower." He stood up and pulled the other man with him, pausing to wrap his arms around him. Their lips met again and it felt a little odd, kissing someone taller than him, but he found he didn't mind one bit. Especially when it took them a long time to actually get  _to_  the shower.


	5. Chapter 5

He'd stayed away as long as he dared. It was starting to get really late, well, early, and chilly. He sighed, staring for another few minutes at the stars above the roof he'd chosen, then stood up. He dusted himself off and headed home.   
  
He could still detect the extra chakra signature, but when he stepped into the apartment, it was quiet. The lights were out except the one they always kept on if someone was out and there was no one around. He kicked his sandals off, headed down the hallway and stopped. Zumo's bedroom door was open slightly.   
  
He probably stood there for a solid two minutes, debating with himself, but in the end, he gave in. He pushed it open carefully and had to nearly bite his tongue at the growl that wanted to come out. He didn't understand the sudden emotion that rushed to the surface and that as much as anything pissed him off. He fought it, fought the initial urge to walk over to the bed and drag the teacher out from Zumo's arms and kick him out of the apartment.   
  
It was ridiculous. He  _knew_  that the man was here. He  _knew_  that they were together. But it seemed somehow worse to see them sleeping, cuddling close, arms wrapped around each other like they were.  _  
  
What do you have to complain about? You sleep with Kakashi._  His inner-voice asked him.   
  
He frowned.  _That's different. We almost never sleep.  
  
You did the first night._  He reminded himself.   
  
Shit. And there was no doubt that somewhere along the way they'd looked very much like those two did. He swallowed hard and pulled the door closed.   
  
He headed into his room and paced it for a few moments, trying to sort through his thoughts. He swallowed hard at the sour taste in his mouth. He  _knew_  what his problem was, but he didn't want to face it. He didn't want to name it.    
  
He battled the urge to put a fist through the wall, continuing his pacing. What the hell was he going to do with this? He'd put the concept of Izumo being at least bi and possibly gay aside while he'd been out on the roof. If  _he_ had been, then it couldn't be that much of a surprise that Izumo might, too. They were so much alike in so many ways. One of the reasons they were such good friends.   
  
He finally stopped pacing and simply stared at the wall. The truth was, there wasn't much he  _could_  do about it. He had to face the fact that Izumo had slept with Iruka, they were staying together overnight and very likely dating. He would just have to accept it.   
  
After all, he had to think about Kakashi, too, didn't he? He'd already learned that the rumors of his playboy status were, like most rumors, way over the top. There was a lot more to the copy nin than he'd expected there to be and a lot more than most of the public saw.   
  
But he'd seen. He'd learned quite a bit already in just the two nights they'd been together. They'd hardly spent all that time talking, but they hadn't been silent, either.    
  
He liked knowing that he was the one Kotetsu  _wanted_ . That it wasn't just convenience, wasn't just sex. And for the first time in a very long time, he had to admit, he really did want to be with Kakashi. Not just to fuck, though the sex was something. Way beyond anything he'd had before, that was for sure.    
  
No, there was a lot more to the man than what anyone saw and the more he learned, the more he wanted to know. Kotetsu had found himself in completely new territory with him and not just because he was male. Maybe it was because one of the village's most powerful ninja really did have a side that wasn't perfect. Well, besides the façade he displayed. The lazy, aloof pervert.    
  
Well, maybe he really was a pervert. Kotetsu blushed when he thought of some of the things they'd done. But that was fine, that was actually very fine with him. Their sex life would never get boring, anyway.   
  
But the hentai aside, there was plenty to learn about the man and Kotetsu had wanted to do so. He'd found himself seriously upset when he got called out. And more than once since he'd seen him off at the gates, he'd found himself worried about him.   
  
So what did that mean? He wasn't happy that Zumo was dating Iruka, but he was okay to worry and want Kakashi? He shook his head. Something wasn't adding up right in his head, but he couldn't quite figure it out.   
  
The long night was finally catching up to him. He realized he needed rest and maybe things would make more sense the next day. He didn't think it would work that easily, but one way or the other, he couldn't stay awake much longer. He stripped out of his clothes, sent up a prayer that Iruka would be gone by the time he got up and fell asleep.   
  
  
When Izumo woke the next morning, it took him a moment to figure out where he was. He may not have been as bad as Tetsu when it came to bringing women home, fucking them and disappearing, but it still wasn't all that common to actually sleep with them. Then he felt the other person shift a little and everything came back with blinding clarity. That was a cock against his and that was Iruka in his arms.   
  
He opened his eyes and saw a set of chocolate ones looking back at him. It really wasn't fair for a man to have such beautiful eyes. They were so serious and it occurred to Izumo that the other man was worried.    
  
He reached up and brushed a bit of hair out of his face that had fallen over one eye, then leaned forward and captured his lips. Iruka was hesitant at first, then responded, opening his mouth and their tongues touched. He lost himself in that kiss, forgetting for a moment that he should probably get up, at least check the time, maybe think about getting ready for his time on the mission desk.   
  
But he couldn't seem to pull away from those lips, dear God, those lips. He nibbled and nipped, then moved in for one of those long ones that stole the breath. It took a supreme effort, but finally he pulled back. "Good morning."   
  
Iruka grinned. "I'll take one of those wake ups any day. Good morning."   
  
Izumo's lips spread in a matching smile. "That mouth of yours is hard to resist." So saying, he moved in again, tasting once more.    
  
Iruka's arms moved up over his back and he rocked into Izumo, their arousals rubbing against each other. Izumo moaned quietly. "Keep that up and I'll have you again."   
  
The younger man chuckled. "I've created a monster." There were, in fact, already four used condoms in the garbage from the night before.   
  
"Oh yeah. I lay this entire thing at your feet. It's all your fault you're as sexy as you are." He chuckled when Iruka blushed. "That's not helping your case. It's even worse when you blush like that." Izumo dropped a kiss on each cheek.    
  
"Gah." Iruka lifted his hand and smacked it down onto Izumo's butt.   
  
The older man raised his eyebrows. "And how do you know I don't like that?" He asked, innocently.   
  
Iruka just raised one himself. "Do you?"   
  
Izumo pretended to consider it. "I have no idea. I haven't been on the receiving end of one of those since I was about five."   
  
Iruka laughed. "Well, I think we can save something like that for later."   
  
Izumo nodded. "Yeah. I'd much prefer to simply feel your body again, fill you up and hear you call my name one more time."   
  
The teacher moaned at the words. "I'm going to have a such a hard time walking." He chuckled. "And I don't care one bit." His lips met Izumo's again and they lost themselves in the kiss. Hands and lips went everywhere, determined to feel each bit of skin, every muscle, taste as much as possible.    
  
They were both a little crazy, more than a little desperate, by the time Izumo went into the drawer. They groaned when they found it empty of the little foil packages. "Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck." This actually came from Iruka. He laid his head back, staring at the ceiling a moment. His legs were wrapped around the other man, both of their cocks rock hard, both of them nearly insane. He took a deep breath and then looked back at Izumo.   
  
Their eyes met a moment, neither saying anything. Izumo hovered,  _right there_ , not moving, barely breathing. This wasn't something to play with, wasn't something to take lightly. Izumo knew he was clean, was pretty damned certain Iruka was, too and really, if he'd been  _that_  worried, he wouldn't have even gone down on the man the night before without one.    
  
But the truth was, this always felt more… dangerous, somehow. More intimate, that was for sure. Despite how much they'd done the night before this was something else. He'd be leaving a bit of himself behind in this man's body and that just  _felt_ different, both physically  _and_  emotionally.   
  
But in the end, it was up to Iruka. If he, Izumo, felt it was intimate, then it was doubly so for the other man. He ran through these thoughts in seconds as they stared at each other, then Iruka reached out and, without looking away, grabbed the bottle of lube and handed it to him.    
  
Izumo swallowed, but sat up to coat himself in it. He lifted the other man to him and Iruka straddled him, lowing himself onto the older man's cock, all the time, their eyes never leaving each other. He started moving slowly, and Izumo nearly went a little insane. "Dear God, this feels incredible, Ruka."   
  
Iruka's eyes closed finally, and he swallowed. "I've never done this before, Zumo."   
  
Izumo was stunned. "Never?" He held the other man still.   
  
Iruka shook his head. "Never. I've never gone without before. It's probably silly. I _know_  we're clean. We're shinobi, for God's sake, we'd never get away with carrying disease, but still."   
  
"No, I… know what you mean." He swallowed and pulled him a little closer. He slanted his lips over the other's and gently, so slowly, started moving just a little. "I never have, either," he whispered, when they broke apart.   
  
"No?" When Izumo shook his head, the brown eyes opened and they stared at each other as Iruka started to ride him again. "You feel… so good…" his words carried on the softest moan, but Izumo didn't miss it. His arms went around him, up along his back and Iruka's head fell back, eyes closing, as the feel of them got to be too much.    
  
It  _was_  too much, felt too good. He wasn't going to be able to hold on like this. They moved together, dragging the pleasure from the other, demanding they give in, both refusing to. He took his lover's cock into his hand, working it over, doing his best to make sure he went first.    
  
And when he leaned forward and nipped at Iruka's neck, sucking the skin into his mouth, he was rewarded. "Oh god, Zumo, I'm… oh god, I'm coming!" His body shook, his muscles clamped down on Izumo's cock and he came, covering them both, shuddering with the force of it.   
  
It sent Izumo over the edge as well. "Ruka! Oh god, Ruka!" He surged up into him, his body letting go for him, and he filled the other man with his cum as his own orgasm crashed through him.   
  
Iruka slumped forward, resting his head on Izumo's shoulder and their arms came around each other. The older man dropped soft kisses on the side of the other's face, brushing the hair back just a little. Iruka turned his head just enough and their lips met. This soft slow kiss was as breathtaking, maybe more so, than the ones that aroused, after what they'd both just felt.    
  
They broke apart, neither quite capable of speech. Their eyes met again and held as they found the ability to take in air again. But even as they calmed down, as their heartbeats finally started to slow, they didn't move, couldn't bring themselves to.   
  
They stayed like that for a while, unwilling to break the silence, the connection. Finally, Iruka spoke. "I… have to go. I don't want to, but I have to go home and get ready."   
  
Izumo swallowed "Yeah. I have to get ready, too. Are you… okay?"   
  
Iruka nodded. "Yeah." He looked up and smiled. "Yeah, I am."   
  
It took another few minutes to untangle themselves but they finally managed to get themselves dressed. Izumo walked the other man to the door and he paused. "I… guess I'll see you in a little while. That's going to be interesting."   
  
Izumo chuckled. "Yeah. It's going to take a lot to keep my hands off of you."    
  
Iruka laughed. "I really have created a monster." He bent his head and they kissed again. "See you."   
  
"Bye." Izumo watched as he got to the front of the building. Iruka waved once more before turning the corner. He closed the door and leaned back against it, his eyes closing as well. What just happened? What had last night been? Insane. Incredible. He shook his head and rubbed his face hard.   
  
"So… Iruka?"   
  
Kotetsu. Oh fuck. He opened his eyes and looked at his best friend. And for reasons he didn't want to examine yet, he went on the defensive. "Kakashi?"   
  
His best friend blushed. They stared at each other for a few minutes, neither saying a word. "How did I not know you were interested in guys?" It was the only thing Izumo could think of to say.   
  
"Maybe because I didn't know myself." He flopped down onto the couch and stared at his bare feet on the coffee table. Then he glanced up. "What about you?"   
  
Izumo frowned. "Yeah, kinda the same thing, I guess." He went over and sat next to his friend, twisting around. He sighed. "I ran into Iruka last night at the bar. We talked, then came back here."   
  
Tetsu nodded. "Yeah, after you left on Friday night, Kakashi came up to me." He chuckled. "I have never before in my life been picked up."   
  
Izumo laughed. "That must have been different for you."   
  
"You have no idea."   
  
"Um, maybe I do. I mean, I've never picked up a man before. That was… different." He stared at the feet on the coffee table, too. He usually yelled at him to take them off. Just went to show how messed up he was at the moment. He reached over and knocked them off, anyway.   
  
"Well at least that hasn't changed," Kotetsu said, laughing.   
  
Izumo chuckled, too. "What happened last night? You came home awfully early… at least…" he stumbled, "compared to Friday."   
  
"Oh. He got sent out," Tetsu said, frowning. "It's not supposed to be a long mission, but…"   
  
"Yeah, you never know. I'm… sorry." That wasn't really what he wanted to say. He wanted to ask him why the hell he was with Kakashi in the first place. If he was going to discover he was gay, couldn't he do it with  _him?_   
  
Izumo stopped dead.    
  
Holy.    
  
Shit.    
  
Yeah, he was jealous. Jealous as hell of Kakashi. He and Iruka may have talked about it some the night before, but it really hit him.   
  
Then the thought of his new lover caused a new kind of pang. Even thinking of Tetsu like that felt like a betrayal of Iruka. What the hell kind of mess did he get himself - and Iruka - into? He swallowed hard and looked back at his friend.    
  
Tetsu was still looking at the coffee table, not him. He glanced at the clock. "Shit, we're going to be late."   
  
"Yeah, don't want to cross your new lover, do we?" Tetsu asked and Izumo blinked, staring at him. That sounded awfully… catty.   
  
"What?"   
  
"He's on the desk, too, right? Don't want to piss him off. I'd hate for him to take it out on you by not giving you sex or something," Tetsu said and Izumo blushed bright red, but it still sounded a little odd.   
  
He shook his head. "He wouldn't do that. He's a little too professional for that. But we  _might_  end up on the gates extra."    
  
Tetsu snorted. "Right. You wouldn't get it, but I might."   
  
Izumo stared at his friend. That sounded an awful lot like jealousy, but it could  _not_ have worked that well. Not that quickly. Maybe it was just that Kakashi was out on a mission and Tetsu was alone. He frowned, not really liking the thought, but he couldn't suppress it completely. He shook his head again. "Come on. This isn't going to help us be any more on time. You want to shower first?"   
  
"I've already showered this morning. Go ahead." His friend said and headed into his room, shutting his door firmly, almost in Izumo's face.   
  
He swallowed hard, no idea how to handle this. They seemed to just be getting further apart, but what the hell? He wasn't the only one having sex with a man, a man  _not_  his best friend. So what? He was supposed to sit around and maybe hope that his friend gave up his own lover and decided to go to him instead?   
  
No. Dammit, he wasn't. And he wasn't going to. Iruka liked him. He liked Iruka and if Kotetsu wanted Kakashi, then they could have each other. He sighed. He knew it was more complicated than that, but he didn't have the mental capacity to deal with it right then. And they really were going to be late if he didn't get moving.   
  
  
He showered and dressed in record time, but he still managed to have to miss breakfast. As they were leaving, though, Tetsu handed him a rice ball. "I made them this morning. I had a feeling you'd be running late."   
  
Izumo stared at it, blushing. "Thanks." He ate in silence for a few minutes as they walked toward the mission office. "So, do you have any idea when he might be back?"   
  
Kotetsu shook his head. "No. He was supposed to just do some basic investigation, but that's all he could tell me. He said he hoped it was only a few days and that he'd get back as soon as he could, but…" he trailed off with a shrug.   
  
"Yeah. It doesn't always work like that. I'm sure it won't be long. Hey, want to hang out tonight? Watch a bad old movie?" Izumo asked.   
  
Kotetsu looked over at him. "Don't you have plans?"   
  
Izumo shook his head. "No."   
Kotetsu considered him a moment. "Why… why don't you ask him first. If he doesn't want to, then we will."   
  
Izumo frowned. "But…"   
  
"Really, Zumo. I'll be okay." His friend smiled, but it didn't really reach his eyes.    
  
He sighed. "Okay." This was getting more and more complicated by the hour. He fell silent and finished his rice ball just as they got to the mission office.   
  
  
They managed to only be a few minutes late, and Iruka didn't say anything. Izumo had a feeling he was a little too worried about how they'd handle simply working together to bother over a few minutes of lateness. He turned when he sat down at his part of the desk. "Um, hi." He had no idea how bright his cheeks were.   
  
"Hi," Iruka said, his own blush bright.    
  
This was a little silly, since the only ones in the room were them and Kotetsu. His best friend sighed. "Okay, look, no one's here, so let's just get this out. You're lovers, I know that, big deal. As long as you don't have sex on the desk, I'm not going to freak out, okay? Geez." He turned to the mission books and started looking through them.   
  
Iruka and Izumo looked at each other and the older man shrugged. "I guess he has a point."   
  
Iruka nodded. "Yeah." He blew out a breath, then they turned to their own books, but it was still awkward for a while until the teams started to trickle in and they finally had work to concentrate on.   
  
They made it. It was awkward for a while and there were a few times Izumo had to fight the urge to touch or kiss, which really surprised him. Then there was the one moment when he'd walked in on Iruka in the supply room. That had been  _really_ interesting.   
  
"You know, it's a good thing there are so many people out there waiting to turn stuff in." Izumo said, stepping up to Iruka's back.    
  
He turned around quickly and Izumo gave in to the urge to lean into him. "Oh?" Iruka asked, raising his eyebrow.   
  
"Yeah. Because I was sorely tempted to do something that might just get us in trouble. This…" he said, running his hand over the younger man's ass, "is  _way_  too tempting."   
  
"Really?" Iruka asked and Izumo nodded. "Well, hmmm… this is a problem."   
  
"Why is that?"    
  
"Because those…" he said, leaning in and laying his lips over Izumo's and they gave in to the kiss a moment. When they managed to pull back, he finished with, "are just as tempting."    
  
Izumo grabbed Iruka's hand and put it over his now very uncomfortable erection. "Look what you've done."   
  
Iruka laughed. "Monster."   
  
Izumo grinned and stepped back. "You're fault. You created it." He adjusted himself, reached around his lover for the pen he'd come in for and went back out to the front.   
  
The end of the day finally got there with no major problems and Izumo was glad for it. It was seriously tense sitting between the two of them. The temptation to lean over and touch Iruka was just barely outweighed by the fact that he didn't want to in front of Tetsu. By the last half hour, he'd wanted to scream from it.   
  
As they were packing up, he shot Tetsu a look who grabbed his things quickly and headed back to the filing room. He turned to Iruka. "So, when can I see you again?"   
  
Iruka glanced over, making sure the door was locked, then stepped closer. "Well, I have grading and lessons to do tonight. What about tomorrow? I know you're not on the gate this week." He grinned.   
  
Izumo laughed. "Tetsu will be very grateful for that. He'll probably be hanging out there, anyway."   
  
"Oh? Why's that?" Iruka asked.   
  
"Kakashi's out." He pulled him a little closer, giving in to the need to touch.    
  
"Ah. That sucks… for him." Iruka said, stumbling over his words.   
  
Izumo swallowed and looked down. That shouldn't hurt, dammit. He wasn't supposed to care this much for Iruka, they were just there to get the other two's attention, right?  _No, it's not right. That's not what you agreed to last night, remember?_   
  
He felt his chin being lifted and he looked up at his lover. "I'm sorry. That didn't come out right. I  _am_ sorry… for Kotetsu. Not…" he paused, then brushed the hair out from in front of Izumo's other eye and waited until their gazes met. "For Kotetsu, not me."   
  
Izumo stared at him a moment, then leaned in and kissed him. "Thank you." Iruka raised an eyebrow. "For clarifying. Sorry, I'm still kind of… not great at the relationship thing."    
  
Iruka laughed. "And I told you none of us really are, me included. Listen, I don't want to, but I've got a stack of tests to grade, so I have to go. Pick me up at…" he paused, thinking… "six?"   
  
Izumo nodded. "Okay." He leaned in and kissed him once more. "Six tomorrow."   
  
He watched Iruka leave and Kotetsu came out from the back. "He going home?"   
  
"Yeah. So… how about that movie?" Izumo turned to his friend and Kotetsu gave the first real smile he'd seen from him in a couple of days.    
  
"Yeah. Let's go home."


	6. Chapter 6

Kotetsu got the popcorn ready and Izumo set up the video player. They'd stopped on the way home to pick up one of those old black and white comedy movies they always liked to make fun of. It had felt good, a lot more like the old them when they didn't even need to talk about it. They'd walked straight to the same shelf and, in about two minutes pointed at the same movie.   
  
They'd been grinning when they got to the counter and the guy gave them the funniest look, but they didn't care. They were best friends again. And like every other movie night they'd had, Tetsu hadn't even said a word, just went in to make the popcorn and Zumo had gone to the video player to set it up.   
  
They'd learned early on that Izumo was a disaster in the kitchen if he tried to do more than warm up food or brew tea. He'd nearly burned the apartment down the first time he tried to really cook. It hadn't even been a discussion after that. Tetsu cooked, period.   
  
Tetsu, on the other hand, was half-assed at best when it came to cleaning up. It annoyed Izumo at times, but he figured it was a decent balance when it meant he didn't have to try to cook. As long as Tetsu didn't make  _too_ much of a mess when he did so. One of Zumo's few actual girlfriends thought it was silly that he couldn't cook, but he'd just told her it worked for them. She'd given up pretty quickly after that and he realized that his ability to cook wasn't the only thing she'd given up on quickly.   
  
"It's ready!" He called out to Tetsu. He could hear the popping, so he knew he hadn't heard it over the sound. He took up his usual seat on the couch and just waited.   
  
A few minutes later, large bowl of popcorn in one hand, bottles of tea in the other, Kotetsu came out. "Didn't you tell me?"   
  
Izumo rolled his eyes. Some things really weren't going to change. "Of course I did. You were popping the popcorn, so you didn't hear me. I knew you'd come out and ask me if I was going to tell you and we'd do this all over again."   
  
"Oh. Right, okay. So, start the movie, already," Tetsu said, shaking his head.   
  
Zumo chuckled, but hit the play button and then leaned over and punched Tetsu in the arm, just like he always did and just like always, Tetsu shouted, "hey! What was that for?"   
  
Izumo looked over at him, trying to keep a straight face. It lasted about ten seconds, then Tetsu started laughing, too. "Right."   
  
They turned to the movie and it didn't take long for them to start laughing and making rude comments. About half way through, also as usual, they started taking swipes at each other, mimicking the movie. "Wiseguy, eh?" Izumo said.   
  
"Woop woop!" Tetsu imitated and they'd laugh even harder.   
  
About two thirds of the way through the movie, the popcorn, what was left of it, started to get thrown. At the screen, at each other, it didn't matter.    
  
After the thrown popcorn, they'd start wrestling. Throwing punches half heartedly, holding each other down, that sort of thing. But this time, when Kotetsu managed to sit on Izumo, pinning him, they felt the difference.    
  
He had Izumo's hands pinned over his head and was straddling his stomach, their faces only centimeters apart. The laughing died, their eyes met and they both felt the shift immediately. They stared at each other, neither able to breathe very well.   
  
Without thinking, Kotetsu let go of Izumo's hands and Izumo threaded one through those spiky ebony locks. He pulled him down and for the first time in their lives, their lips met. And Holy God, it went through them. It wouldn't have shocked them any more if they'd both felt Kakashi's Raikiri in that moment.   
  
It barely qualified as a kiss. Just a brush of their mouths, closed at that! But neither could move away at first, neither could even  _breathe_ . Izumo tilted his head a little and nipped just the tiniest bit at Tetsu's lips and the other man opened to him. Their tongues touched tentatively and the shock from their lips intensified.    
  
Izumo went hard, just like that. His other hand went to the other side of Tetsu's face and the kiss deepened even further. They broke apart, he nipped at the other man's chin, working his way down to his neck, nibbling along it. Then his friend shifted, their erections rubbed against each other and Tetsu moaned loudly.   
  
And they broke apart. Their breathing was harsh, hearts pounding, faces twin expressions of pure shock. What the hell were they doing?   
  
Iruka's face flashed into Izumo's mind and he felt ashamed. This may be his best friend, this may even be the reason that he and Iruka started seeing each other in the first place, but this  _wasn't_ his boyfriend. Maybe they didn't  _say_  they were committing to each other, but what had happened the night before, and especially that morning couldn't be ignored.   
  
At the same time, Kotetsu was thinking about Kakashi. The copy nin was out there somewhere on a mission, maybe even thinking about getting back to  _him_ . And here he was, kissing someone else.    
  
They stared at each other another moment, then Kotetsu awkwardly stood up. Izumo sat up, then, and stared around at the chaos their movies always caused, but not really seeing anything. He swallowed hard and looked back at his best friend.   
  
"I…" he started, but had no idea what to say. He looked up at him, and he saw a similar expression on his friend's face.    
  
"No, I know." Kotetsu said and Izumo realized he really  _did_  know.    
  
He buried his face in his hands. "Fuck," came out muffled through them. He really felt like a first-class bastard right then.    
  
"I won't tell him." Tetsu's voice came from right next to him and Izumo looked up.   
  
"I won't, either." Zumo said, staring at his friend.   
  
Tetsu nodded. "I'll… help clean up." Tetsu motioned to the popcorn mess. That, too, was new. Izumo usually cleaned it up himself, but this time, he welcomed the help. They made quick work of it, then he took care of the video and boxed it for return.    
  
"Um, I think I'm just going to go to bed and… read or something." Izumo said and Kotetsu didn't argue. They had an early morning, anyway, so it was a reasonable excuse.    
  
"Yeah, um, night." Kotetsu said.   
  
"Night." Izumo stared at his friend for another moment before escaping into his room. He flopped onto his bed and rolled, then buried his face in the pillow that Iruka had lain on the night before. He could still smell a tiny bit of the citrus of his lover's shampoo.   
  
He stared at the wall for a long time, his mind a complete jumble of confusion. That kiss had felt so right. His friend had felt so right up against him. He'd wanted nothing more in that moment than to make love to him and he knew, without a doubt, that's what would happen.   
  
But he didn't want to, at the same time. He'd already started to care a lot for Iruka. He did  _not_  want to hurt the man and he realized that it was as much because he wanted to be with him. Fuck, what a mess!    
  
His mind flew in circles for a quite a long time before he finally fell asleep.   
  
  
  
Kotetsu stared at the ceiling. He couldn't even put into words the mess his thoughts were in. Images flashed through his mind like some sort of screwed up, out of order home movie.    
  
Pictures of Zumo as a child, at the beach, while they were at the academy, as genin. Pictures of Kakashi, his face - his  _whole_  face, as he was when he was above him. Pictures of him at dinner, in the shower, having drinks. And the last picture of him as he was right before he left. His mask around his neck, the hitae-ate over his sharingan, having just kissed him.   
  
And a picture of Zumo's face right before the shock had hit them both. The picture of that face, eyes closed, just after they'd stopped kissing. It kept switching places with Kakashi's smile. The one he'd given  _only_  him before the mask had gone back up and he'd headed out.   
  
He had no idea when he'd fallen asleep, but those pictures would float through his dreams until he saw Kakashi at four years old, offering him a lollipop and Izumo hovering over him as they made love.    
  
  
  
Both men looked like hell the next morning, there was no better way to describe it. Tetsu brewed some very strong coffee for them and, after hot showers, they stumbled in to work. They said very little for most of the morning, not to other people and certainly not to each other.   
  
They understood, at least to a point, the confusion and shame they both felt. They may have floated from woman to woman when they'd still been dating them, but neither of them had ever cheated in their lives. And maybe it was just a kiss, but it felt like a lot more.   
  
When Kakashi came into the office shortly before noon, Izumo couldn't help but actually be happy for Tetsu. He watched his friends face light up and the happy crease form in the corner of the copy nin's eye. He even smiled a little and pushed at Tetsu's arm, patently ignoring the pang of jealousy. "Get out of here for a few, I'll cover."   
  
Kotetsu's eyebrows went up, but he didn't argue. He disappeared through the door with Kakashi and Izumo went back to thinking about Iruka. He glanced again at the clock, but the day seemed to be dragging.    
  
When Tetsu came back in only a few minutes later, he raised an eyebrow at him. "We're going out tonight, but he's tired and needs a nap and stuff. He… came straight here from the gates."   
  
Izumo grinned. Damned if the copy nin didn't really care for his friend. That was a surprise. He loved Tetsu a bunch, but that was something he wouldn't have expected. They seemed so… different, but maybe that was part of it. Maybe Kakashi liked the goof-ball parts of Tetsu's personality. Whatever it was, he  _was_  glad for them, despite his jealousy.   
  
He realized, too, that he was starting to feel a little better. Iruka had been firmly on his mind all morning and all he wanted was for the day to go by so he could go see him. It surprised him a little at first, that that was all he thought about. He'd made the decision over the course of the night that nothing like what had happened during the movie could happen again. Not while he was dating Iruka. If that changed, then that was fine. But he wasn't going to do that to the other man.   
  
He turned to Tetsu. "Hey, um…," he started and his friend looked over at him. "Look, about…" he waved a hand.   
  
"Yeah." Tetsu nodded, and Izumo knew that Tetsu understood he was referring to the night before.   
  
"I don't think…"    
  
"Yeah, me, either," Testu said.   
  
And that was that. He knew what he was saying, knew what he'd decided and Izumo had a feeling that he'd come to the same conclusion the night before. It was good to know that their communication didn't seem to suffer too badly.   
  
So when lunch rolled around and Izumo was getting ready to go get his, he looked up in surprise to see the very object of his thoughts walking in. He couldn't have hidden the happy surprise if he wanted to. "Hi!"   
  
Iruka grinned, his eyes only for Izumo and he couldn't help feeling good at that. "Hi. One of the other teachers needed to deliver this and I volunteered to bring it over on my lunch."   
  
"I'll take that," Tetsu said, holding out his hand, then he punched Izumo. "Get out."   
  
Izumo didn't need to be told twice. They headed out of the building and as soon as they were outside, he took Iruka's hand. "How long do you have?"   
  
Iruka glanced at his watch. "Not quite an hour."   
  
Izumo glanced around and dragged him into the alley behind the mission office. He found a quiet spot behind a stack of storage crates, pushed the younger man against the wall and attacked him with his lips. It  _wasn't_  the same as kissing Tetsu, and Izumo had a feeling nothing would be, but he couldn't ignore the way this man made him feel, either.    
  
When the broke apart, Iruka chuckled. "So, instead of  _me_  dragging  _you_  into an alley to molest  _you_ , you've decided to do that to me?"   
  
Izumo blushed. He'd missed the man. After everything he'd gone through over night, he realized he'd really missed him, even though he'd just seen him the day before. He dropped his head forward to hide the color staining his cheeks, forgetting his bandana was in place, holding his hair. "I'm sorry," Iruka said softly. "I missed you, too. It's why I'm here."   
  
Izumo swallowed, looking up. Iruka pulled his bandana off and brushed the hair out of his eye. He started to wonder that it never bothered him for this man to see it, but he decided not to question it, just then and instead be glad for the time. The look in the other man's eyes was enough to make him just forget… well, pretty much everything. He leaned in again and their lips met once more.    
  
They got lost in it, both of them forgetting where they were, not caring if it was an alley or what. Izumo reached up and pulled at the tie in Iruka's hair, then threaded his fingers through it. When they broke apart for breath, he said, "it should be a crime to tie this up."   
  
Iruka blushed. "It's just hair."   
  
Izumo shook his head. "Not this." He pulled at him and buried his face in it, right along Iruka's neck in the spot he'd learned the younger man liked so much. He nibbled lightly at it and couldn't help but grin at the moan the other man let out.    
  
"Oh God, Zumo, you're too good at that. It's not fair." Iruka moaned and he chuckled. The younger man shifted a little and pulled Izumo in until they were tight up against each other, legs threaded. He could feel the other man's arousal against his own and he rubbed at it just a bit. "You're going to make the afternoon nearly impossible to get through."   
  
Izumo chuckled. "Maybe then you'll know how I feel." He attacked the neck again, pulling the high uniform collar down. He glanced up at Iruka and sucked a bit of skin into his mouth.    
  
"Oh you are cruel," he nearly whimpered, but retaliated by running his hands over Izumo's butt, squeezing his cheeks slightly.    
  
He let go of his lover's neck, grinning at the mark he left there, then readjusted his collar so it was hidden. "There. No one will know you were attacked by your lover at lunch." He chuckled.   
  
"I will. Good grief." He closed his eyes and rested his head against the wall, trying to control his breathing. "Is it six yet?"   
  
Izumo chuckled. "No, dammit, it's not. If I didn't think I'd get gate duty for a month for skipping out on the desk, I'd leave now. But then again, my boyfriend has things to do, so the whole effort would be wasted anyway."   
  
Iruka laughed. "Yes, I can't leave my students to their own devices, I'm afraid."   
  
"No, no, you can't. I seem to remember what I was like back then and Tetsu and I probably would have made your life a living hell." He laughed.   
  
"I don't doubt it for a moment." He chuckled, then leaned in for another kiss. They lost themselves in this one, kissing slowly, nipping at chins, necks and ears, then moving back to their lips again for another deep kiss. So focused on each other were they that they completely lost track of time, too. It wasn't until Iruka's watch beeped at him that they managed to break apart.   
  
The younger man groaned. "Damn. I've got to run, literally." Izumo stepped back and Iruka leaned forward, dropping another kiss on him then snatching his hair tie out of his lover's hand. "I'll see you at six, okay?"   
  
"Yeah. Try to have a good afternoon," Izumo said with a grin, taking his bandana back from Iruka and trying to smooth his own hair down.    
  
"Ha. It's going to take real effort to pay attention to the lesson now." He turned toward the end of the alley.   
  
"You came here," Izumo reminded him.   
  
"Yes, I did," he laughed. He paused and turned back, then Izumo stepped up and placed one more soft kiss on him, right there in the street.    
  
"See you later."   
  
"Later," he said, a little stunned. Izumo turned into the building and blushed when he saw that Iruka was still standing there.   
  
He paused in the door, raising his eyebrows. "Get to class."   
  
Iruka shook his head, blushing and took off, ninja style.    
  
"Well, don't you look like the cat that ate the canary," Kotetsu said as he came back to the desk. He looked his friend over. "Let me guess, the alley behind the storage crates?"   
  
Izumo blushed. "How did you know?" He asked, irritably.   
  
Tetsu cleared his throat and feigned interest in the ceiling tiles.   
  
"Oh!" Izumo laughed. "Kakashi."   
  
"Yeah, but all  _we_  did was kiss." Kotetsu said, defensively.   
  
"That's all we did, too. I'm not into sex in public, thank you."    
  
"You spent an hour kissing?" Tetsu said, his eyes wide.   
  
Izumo blushed. "Yeah, and?"   
  
"Damn." His friend blinked at him. "Damn." He turned to the mission books in front of him, shaking his head. "Damn."   
  
"What? Isn't Kakashi a good kisser?" Izumo's eyebrows went up.   
  
"No, no, he is…" he paused. "God, he is." he cleared his throat, "but we've never spent that much time just kissing."   
  
"Well, we were sort of in public, in broad daylight and Iruka had to get back to class," Izumo said, with a sigh.   
  
"Well, okay. But still… an hour…"    
  
"We did talk a little, too." At Kotetsu's look, he said, "a little."   
  
He laughed and Izumo couldn't help laughing with him. Even if they were talking about the  _men_  in their lives, even if there was still jealousy there, they both felt better. Maybe, just maybe, their friendship could survive this.    
  
  
  
He'd spent the day debating where to take him for dinner. He found himself nervous, wanting to impress the teacher. He wasn't about to declare love or drop to one knee and propose, but he did want to do it right.   
  
Testu had been useless when he asked for advice. He had no more idea what to do than Izumo himself did. He offered to ask Kakashi, but he was supposed to pick Tetsu up at the same time Izumo was due at Iruka's. That would never do, he'd end up more than an hour late, that way.   
  
So, he was pacing behind the mission desk a few minutes before the end of the day, still at a loss. "Oh for Pete's sake, why don't you just ask him?" Tetsu said, finally annoyed.   
  
Izumo turned to him. "How many women did you ask?"    
  
"He's not a woman."   
  
"No shit, Sherlock," Izumo said, in exasperation. "But I asked  _him_ , right?"   
  
Kotetsu frowned. "Yeah. Kakashi said that when he asked he'd take care of things. And he hasn't given me a chance to yet, so I have no idea what I'd do. Well… what does he like?"   
  
Izumo frowned. "The only thing I know of is ramen. I'd feel awfully cheap taking him for ramen."   
  
"Then don't. But… if it's his favorite… Wait, how did you know, anyway?" Tetsu raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Oh, Sakura came in earlier to drop off a scroll for Shizune. I asked her if she knew what he liked." At Tetsu's puzzled look, he said, "well, she was Naruto's teammate and he was Iruka's prized student."   
  
"Oh, right. You're a devious bastard, aren't you?"    
  
Izumo grinned. "I can be. But that still doesn't tell me much." He sighed. "I wish I'd talked to him a little more the other night than just…" he stuttered to a halt, blushing. "Well, I'll have to find out tonight."   
  
Kotetsu snorted. "You mean talked more than had sex, right?" Izumo swiped at him and he dodged it. "So, what are you going to do?"   
  
"Where'd he take you Saturday?" Izumo asked, contemplating the wall.   
  
"Barbecue. Look, maybe just take him somewhere nice. You can worry about his favorite the next time. Just don't spend so much you can't pay the electric bill."   
  
"Ha. ha," Izumo said, sighing and pacing back the other way. "Huh. Do you take anything to a guy when you pick them up?"   
  
"What?" Kotetsu blinked.   
  
"You know, like when I picked up women for dates, I usually took them flowers. Iruka doesn't seem like a flower kind of guy."   
  
"You took women flowers?" Kotetsu blinked at him.   
  
Izumo shook his head. "No wonder you never got more than a couple of dates. You really were sad with women."   
  
"Hey! I got… um… You know, maybe you're right about that." He frowned. "I have no idea. Kashi didn't bring me anything, but…" He shrugged, then sighed. "This is almost as complicated as dating women."   
  
"Ha. Not hardly. At least I know if he'll want to get in bed at the end of the night," Zumo said, chuckling. "And I know what to do." He glanced at the clock, glaring. "Five damned minutes."   
  
Tetsu stared at him a moment. "You do?"   
  
"Yes. He likes whiskey." He nodded. "And if he'd gone out of his way to find out my favorite food and took me for it, I'd be impressed."   
  
"Yeah, but he's not you."   
  
"But I'm a guy, he's a guy. We're fairly simple creatures, when you think about it," Izumo said.    
  
"Huh. I guess that's true." Kotetsu looked up at him, but he didn't say anything further. He was too busy wondering what it would be like to actually  _date_  his best friend.    
  
"You know, the whole dating thing is completely overrated, anyway. I mean, I don't mind it, but isn't it mostly about getting to know the other person? Getting them comfortable with you before you have sex?"   
  
"I don't know. I sucked at it, remember?"   
  
"You're doing better now." Izumo pointed out. "You're going on date two tonight."   
  
"That's only two dates. I've been on three dates with the same person before."   
  
"Oh? When?"   
  
"Um, well, there was that blonde chick… what was her name? Mae? Mai? Something like that. We went on three dates."   
  
Izumo just shook his head sadly. "You are so lucky Kakashi sees something in you."   
  
Kotetsu blushed, then swiped at his friend. "Come on. We better hurry so we're not late."   
  
"What are you worried about? He'll be an hour late at least, anyway."   
  
"Maybe not. He was only forty five minutes late the last time."   
  
Izumo laughed. "Right. The old lady crossing the street. Well, I'm not going to be late. I'll see you at home." And so saying, he took to the roofs.   
  
Kotetsu watched him go and let the jealousy out a little bit. Oh yeah, Zumo was gone over for the teacher, worrying about favorite foods and liquors and impressing him with stuff. He frowned. He couldn't help but wonder what it  _would_  be like if Zumo was doing stuff like that for him. Then he pushed it aside. Kakashi did and that's what mattered.   
  
Right?


	7. Chapter 7

He was late. It annoyed him to no end, but there was nothing he could do about it. It took him no less than four different stores to find what he wanted. It turned out that Aio ordered the stuff specially and the only place that got it for him was on the other side of the damned village. Which he only found out about at the  _third_  store. Well, there was nothing for it, he just hoped that he'd be forgiven.   
  
He knocked on Iruka's door at six-twenty and prayed that he wouldn't be too mad. He swallowed hard and kept a death grip on the bottle in his hand. And when the door opened, all he could do was stare.   
  
He wasn't dressed all that different from the way he was on Saturday. Similar button-down shirt, but this one was a bit tighter and in blue instead of gray. But it hugged him so much better and the collar fell open just far enough to see the bite Izumo had left on his neck earlier in the day, reminding him vividly of the feel of the man against him.   
  
His hair was down and… he didn't look mad. "I'm sorry. I swear I have a good reason, not one of those lame ones Kakashi comes up with when he's late because he's lazy and wasn't paying attention or whatever he does to make himself late all the --" he was stopped when Iruka bent to him and kissed him. His eyes closed and he nearly dropped the bottle when he went to push his hands into that hair.   
  
It was enough to snap him out of it. He broke the kiss off and valiantly fought the blush. "Hi."   
  
Iruka's eyes danced with barely suppressed mirth. "Hello."   
  
"Um, here." He handed him the bottle of whiskey and Iruka's eyes widened.   
  
"Where'd you find this?"   
  
"Uh, that's why I'm late. Turns out there's only one place that you can get it, besides the Kunai and that's only cause Aio orders it from him."   
  
Iruka blinked at him. "I think I'm a little in love. Holy crap." He laughed and dropped another kiss on Izumo, who stared at the other man. "Thank you!"   
  
Izumo grinned. "You're welcome. I'm still getting used to the idea of dating a man. I didn't think flowers were quite right, so it was the only thing I could think of."   
  
Iruka laughed. "You don't have to bring me anything."   
  
Izumo shrugged. "I used to take women flowers. Tetsu was shocked when I told him. I'm getting a much better idea these last few days of why he was so bad at dating." He shook his head, then shoved his best friend to the back for the moment. "Are you ready to go?"   
  
"Yeah, hang on." He disappeared into his kitchen for a moment, then came back without the whiskey. Izumo stepped back out the door and waited while Iruka locked it.   
  
He took the younger man's hand and they walked in silence for a short while. "So, I realized today while I was figuring tonight out, that I didn't spend enough time talking to you."   
  
Iruka's eyebrows went up. "Talking to me?"   
  
"Well, I mean, I certainly didn't  _mind_  what we did." He chuckled. "But I don't know all that much, outside of what you do as a shinobi, that sort of thing."   
  
"Ah. Yes, that could make planning things interesting, couldn't it?" Iruka asked and Izumo nodded.   
  
"I managed to figure tonight out, but if I'm going to take you out more, we're just going to be forced to talk."   
  
"Oh dear. Does that mean I can't drag you into the alley instead of going to dinner?"   
  
Izumo laughed. "Yes, I'm afraid we have to sit through a meal."   
  
Iruka gave a fake long-suffering sigh. "If you insist," he said, then stopped dead when he saw where they were. "Really?"   
  
Izumo squirmed. "Like I said, I only know a little bit, so I thought…"   
  
Iruka laughed and dropped another kiss on his lover. "It's great." He pulled the other man with him under the curtain and into Ichiraku's. They took stools at the end of the counter.   
  
"Look, I don't want you to think I'm cheap or something."   
  
Iruka shook his head, bumping him with his shoulder. "Don't worry so much."   
  
Izumo shrugged. "Kind of part of dating, isn't it?"   
  
Iruka thought about that. "I guess it is. Normally, anyway. But then again, we didn't exactly start dating in the normal way, did we?"   
  
"No, I guess not." Izumo turned to the menu and put in his order. "So, this might seem a little juvenile, but I thought we'd started with one of those 'I ask you a question, you ask me one' things."   
  
Iruka shrugged. "Doesn't sound juvenile to me. Okay, go ahead."   
  
Izumo thought about it for a moment. "What do you like besides ramen?"   
  
Iruka laughed. "Gee, why'd you ask that?" He grinned. "Actually, I'm not really picky. There's only a couple of things I don't like and I can usually avoid that where ever I go." At Izumo's look, he said, "maze gohan."   
  
"Ah, yeah, I'm not that thrilled with it either." He turned to Ayame as she brought their bowls. "Thanks." He smiled up at her and she blushed. He blinked a moment and remembered that he used to flirt with her. Uh oh.   
  
Iruka looked between the two of them with a raised eyebrow. Izumo cleared his throat and leaned over. "I used to flirt with her."   
  
"Ah." Iruka said, staring into his bowl.   
  
Izumo paused, thinking it over, then leaned over and kissed Iruka. Just a light peck on the cheek, but the teacher whipped around in surprise, catching Izumo's lips in the process.   
  
They both stopped, eyes wide, lips locked. Then their eyes slid closed and Izumo moved his lips over Iruka's. He cupped the other man's face in his hand, nibbling lightly on that mouth that he couldn't seem to get enough of. They broke apart a moment later and he smiled at the blush that had spread around the other man's scar, brushing his thumb across it.    
  
Iruka cleared his throat. "I guess that clears that up."   
  
Izumo grinned. "I'd say so." He turned to his ramen. "It's your turn, by the way."   
  
"Turn?"   
  
"To ask a question."   
  
"Oh. Right." Iruka blinked at his bowl a moment. "Um… movies."   
  
"That's not a question." Izumo pointed out.   
  
Iruka sighed. "What do you expect? You scrambled my brain."   
  
The older man grinned. "Well, then, we're even. I like samurai movies. You?"   
  
  
  
It had to be some kind of record. Kotetsu was sure of it. He was also fairly certain there was a record being kept somewhere. The copy nin was only half an hour late. And Tetsu was barely ready on time.   
  
He didn't bother waiting for the knock. He opened the door as soon as he felt the chakra signature. "Hello."   
  
"Yo! I'm sorry I'm…" he didn't get to finish. Kotetsu simply pulled his mask down and covered his mouth with his own. When they broke apart a moment later, Kakashi stared at him with a bemused expression on his face.   
  
"There. I saved you from lying and having to come up with a really lame excuse. How about we just get some dinner?"   
  
Kakashi laughed. "That sounds good. I thought I'd ask you what you might want."   
  
Kotetsu chuckled. "Sorry," he said at the look Kakashi gave him. "Zumo and I got into a big discussion about that earlier."   
  
"Oh?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow and stepped back as Kotetsu locked the door. He took his hand and they turned toward the street.    
  
"Um, do you like seafood?" When Kakashi nodded, he said, "there's this little out of the way place that I like. It's not really expensive, almost a hole in the wall, but it's really good."   
  
"That's fine." Kotetsu pointed toward the right and gave him the address, then they turned and started walking. "Anyway, yeah. He's dating Iruka-sensei. And he was taking him out tonight for a date. Had himself completely worked up, pacing back and forth, trying to figure out where to go for dinner, what to take him." He shook his head. And realized the other man was dead silent. "Kashi?"   
  
"Izumo is dating Iruka?" Kakashi asked, his eyebrows raised…well, one of them. Kotetsu assumed the other one was up, too.   
  
"Yeah." He frowned at the look in the man's eyes. "Why?"   
  
"No reason. Just… surprising is all."   
  
Kotetsu shrugged. "I don't know, they seem to get along well." He chuckled. "Except for the fact that Izumo's so much shorter than him."   
  
Kakashi looked  _down_  at Kotetsu. "And?"   
  
The younger man laughed. "Yeah, but it's different. I think… I think Izumo is the more… um… well, shit, I don't know what to call it."   
  
"Top?"   
  
"Yeah. Top. So it's just a little funny is all."   
  
"I guess I can see that. Does it bother you?" Kakashi asked him, quietly.   
  
Kotetsu looked over at his lover. "No. Not really. He seems to really like Iruka and vice versa. Besides, I'm a little preoccupied with someone right now." He said, squeezing the hand in his. "Are you… okay?" He asked, when Kakashi didn't even look his way.   
  
"Hmm?" He looked over at him. "Oh, yeah."   
  
Kotetsu stopped. "What?"   
  
"What?"    
  
"That's what I asked you."   
  
"What do you mean, what?"   
  
Kotetsu sighed. "Don't, just… don't. What's wrong? I can be pretty thick at times, but I think I've learned to read you at least a little bit."   
  
Kakashi looked at him a moment, then glanced away, clearing his throat. "I… used to like him."   
  
Kotetsu raised an eyebrow. "Izumo?"   
  
The copy nin shook his head. "No, Iruka."   
  
"Wait, you had a thing for the teacher?" He blinked. This could  _not_ be happening. How could  _both_  of the men in his life be after the same person - and not him?   
  
Kakashi looked back at him and Kotetsu did his best to bury his feelings. "Used to. I don't anymore. As you pointed out, I'm a little preoccupied with someone else now." He smiled, his eye crinkling and Kotetsu considered him for another moment.   
  
It hurt, there were no two ways about it. He swallowed and turned to continue walking. God, things were so messed up. He was jealous of the teacher from two different directions now, yet he was still confused himself between Kakashi and Izumo.    
  
He started to walk, but the other man tugged on his hand. Kotetsu paused to look up at him. "Kashi?"   
  
He closed the small distance between them and bent down, laying a soft kiss on him through the mask. "I want to be with you."   
  
That was all and the ball in Tetsu's chest loosened. He looked up into the exposed eye for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."   
  
They turned in silence and continued on to the restaurant. By the time they got there, the tension eased and dinner was lighter. Kakashi told him what he could of his mission, talking about some of the weird things he'd seen in the village he'd been in. They chuckled at Izumo's nervousness and talked a bit about the new rumors that came through the mission office.    
  
Kotetsu remembered what Izumo had gone through and he made a point of asking the copy nin about the things he liked. He filed away the bits of information about his favorite food which, coincidentally, he knew how to make, types of movies, besides the  _Icha Icha_ series, and even discovered that Kakashi liked old literature aside from his porn.   
  
It wasn't until the server was clearing away their dishes that he realized that he'd done a lot more listening than talking. And for once, he didn't seem to mind at all. The one subject they avoided was Iruka, which was fine with Kotetsu. He didn't have anything against the teacher specifically, except that both Kakashi and Izumo seemed to be so taken with him. He  _was_  attractive, there was no doubt about that, but he wasn't Izumo and he wasn't Kakashi, at least in Tetsu's estimation.    
  
Kakashi took care of the check and they wandered out of the restaurant. "So, I'm assuming you're on the desk as usual tomorrow?"   
  
"Yeah. So, I can't stay out too late. Zumo would kill me if I fell asleep on the desk."   
  
Kakashi chuckled. "I'm sure he's not the only one."   
  
"Yeah, don't want to cross the Hokage, either." He chuckled. "But… well, it's still early."    
  
"That it is. We could go see a movie, but I have to be honest, I'd much prefer to take you to my place." The copy nin's visible eye looked down over Kotetsu.    
  
"Then why are we still here?" He asked and a few seconds later, they were inside Kakashi's living room. Kotetsu grinned. "Well, then." He stepped closer, and, his eyes never leaving the visible one on the copy nin, he pulled the mask down slowly and leaned in.   
  
He worked to put everything he'd learned about kissing into it, wanting to show him how much he meant, just how much he'd really missed him. The kiss from the night before with Zumo was still running through his head and he felt a momentary pang that he even thought of it. He'd realized he really  _did_  care about this man.    
  
So much was new to Tetsu, so much of this had surprised him, that he'd been feeling nearly perpetually off balance since it began. About the only things that _hadn't_ felt out of balance with this man were the things he did with him, the physical parts of their relationship. He  _knew_ how to do this, even if it was still different than what he was used to.   
  
So he used what he knew, what he  _was_  comfortable with to try to show the man some of what was going through his head. He pushed the small band of fabric off of his head first, and, taking a chance, placed a soft kiss over the scar on his eye. He'd heard the rumors of how it all got there, had seen for himself the name of his teammate on the memorial. He couldn't begin to understand what he'd gone through but he could, at least, show that he cared, and maybe it would be enough.   
  
He tugged at the copy-nin's sweater and pulled it over his head. He dragged his lips down over the chest, teasing a nipple and smiled when he heard the sharp intake of breath in response. He nibbled lightly at it, then sucked on it until he felt it harden against his tongue, earning himself a moan from his lover.   
  
His chin was tugged on and he looked up to be met with Kakashi's mouth. He felt something behind it, something Kotetsu couldn't understand. His tongue slid along the younger man's and he took over the kiss, hands threaded through the thick black hair, holding him close. He exploited Tetsu's weakness, biting lightly, driving him more than a little insane just from this. When they broke apart, the mismatched eyes met the dark ones. "I missed you, too."   
  
He couldn't stop the blush, but he refused to look away. He shook his head. "I know it was only a couple of days, but..."   
  
Kakashi smiled. "So?"   
  
"I...guess, I... Aw hell, Kashi, I don't know. " He sighed. "I don't know what to think. He swallowed and looked away from the copy-nin. "Three days ago, I still dated women. I was a rat bastard to them, I didn't know the first think about real kissing and never would have considered spending an entire dinner out learning about them instead of talking about myself." He turned away, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I've never before in my life been jealous. I didn't care enough  _to_  be. I would never have considered missing or worrying about one of the women I dated when they went out on a mission." His mouth snapped closed stubbornly. He took a deep breath. "I worried about you."   
  
In the quiet apartment, the words hung in the air. Kotetsu stared, unseeingly at the quickly darkening window, completely unaware of his defensive posture and stiff neck as he waited for the copy nin to say something, anything about how ridiculous he really was. He'd had more than one woman laugh the few times he'd started to feel something and said as much.   
  
Kakashi didn't. He stepped up to him and bent, laying a kiss along his face, his neck, at the tip of his ear. He ran his hands down over the younger man's shoulders, the tension melting gradually with each touch. He pulled Tetsu back against him, wrapping his arms around him.    
  
"If someone had told me just a week ago that when I left on my next mission, I'd be looking forward to coming home and seeing that spiky-haired bastard that mans the mission desk, I'd have laughed my ass off at them. But two days ago, I was laying on the ground on my mat, staring at the sky, wondering what you were doing, what you were up to. I found myself wondering just how quickly I could finish the mission. Not because it was efficient, not so I could go read more of my book, but because I could get home to see you."    
  
He turned the younger man around and tilted his chin up again, forcing him to look at him. "You are crazy, outrageous at times, funny, sexy as hell, and have disrupted my nice, calm, lazy, solitary life."   
  
Kotetsu blinked up at him. How the hell was he supposed to take that? He opened his mouth to speak, but Kakashi beat him to it. "And I love it." And with that, he bent to him again, capturing the younger man's lips once more.   
  
He had no idea what to do with all of that. Instead of figuring it out, he gave in to the kiss, to the need to feel and shoved the confusion to the background. Kakashi started working on the buttons of Kotetsu's shirt, not breaking the kiss, refusing to let go for even that long. Frustration at it leaked through and he pulled back long enough to tug it over his head instead.    
  
Skin slid against skin, the rough pads of fingertips teased, lips dragged across the scars and muscles. He lost track of time, of place, of everything except the older man, his touch, his mouth.   
  
They made it to the bed completely naked, neither really paying attention to how, but then he was there, over him, his body sliding along Kotetsu's, the feel of the man making him more than a little crazy. He could feel the other man's erection against his own and the mood shifted. The slow pace changed into need that burned hot and fast.   
  
He never noticed Kakashi move, never saw him reach out, but he had the small tube in his hand and a moment after that, Kotetsu felt the fingers at his entrance. He moaned quietly as they moved into him, readying him to be filled. Their eyes met, the desperation nearly taking over and he willed himself to stretch.  _Faster, dammit, more._  That's all he could think.  _He needed him now._   
  
Kakashi must have picked up on some of this, because he, himself seemed even more desperate to make it happen. And then the fingers were gone and his lover was  _right there_ . "Tetsu..." Kakashi moaned as he eased inside of him.    
  
"Oh God, yes, Kashi...  _Please_ … Not so damned slow!" He wrapped his legs around the other man's waist, pulling him in to him. "I need you too damned much."   
  
  
  
But Kakashi wasn't going to be rushed that much. Despite the need, despite the near desperate want, he wanted to savor this time, the feel of this man's body, the need for  _him_  that he felt emanating from his lover. Kotetsu wanted  _him_ , wanted to feel  _him,_ needed  _him_ and knowing that was a powerful thing. He started moving, but kept it slow, teasing, wanting him nearly mindless before he gave in.   
  
He bent his head and took those lips again. His lover thought he didn't know how to kiss, but he had no idea just how crazy those lips could make him. Just how insane he got simply thinking about it. He'd had a very hard time sleeping on his mission, his mind kept going back to the other man.   
  
He couldn't maintain that pace for long. He needed more, knew Tetsu wouldn't be able to take this for long, either, before he went more than a little wild. So, he gave in and moved faster, thrust harder, shifting just enough to hit the other man's prostate the way he knew he liked. "Oh God, Kashi..." he moaned and the copy nin's eyes closed as he listened to the sounds.   
  
He pulled back, then and when Kotetsu's gaze met his, he knew what he wanted. Without a word, he rolled and Kakashi pushed back into him, groaning at the tight heat that surrounded him again. "God, you feel so good."    
  
This was the younger man's favorite position, he knew. He liked the way Kakashi could wrap his arms around him, the way their skin touched in so many places. Kakashi liked that he could bury his face in his neck, inhale that scent that was just Tetsu, something of sandalwood, paper and ink.    
  
He did that now, burying his face in that spot, taking another deep breath. He battled the feelings warring inside of him, feelings he didn't want. He'd been  _happy_ ignoring his attractions, like the one he had for Iruka, going about his quiet life. He'd put aside relationships, didn't want to think about the pain they could cause. He'd decided he simply didn't need them.   
  
And then he'd seen him, sitting there, drowning his own attraction and pain in a sake bottle. This crazy, energetic ball of chaos had dragged him, kicking and screaming out of his self-imposed solitude. And the worst part of it was that he didn't even know he was doing it.    
  
  
  
He felt the shift, felt the emotion. He had no idea what to do with it except try, in some way, to return it. He wrapped an arm around Kakashi's, tilted his head back until it touched the copy nin's and tried to lend silent comfort, show how much he cared for this man. Kakashi dropped soft kisses on his back and started moving again.    
  
Kotetsu turned his head to look at him the best that he could from that angle and his gaze met the mismatched one. He hoped some small part of his feelings showed but had no idea just how much did. If he had, he might have been more than a little embarrassed. Instead, the naked emotion that was there was enough to surprise the older man.   
  
  
  
That couldn't be there. Not yet, not possible. But then again, if what he said earlier was true, then maybe it was. Maybe he'd been so thrown off by all of this, that he really was more open and, as such, much closer to it than he realized.    
  
It was a humbling thought. Kakashi placed another kiss on the other man's cheek and closed his own eyes as emotion he wasn't ready to deal with bubbled to the surface. Instead he turned his attention to the physical once more, moving faster, pushing harder for Tetsu to feel the pleasure he wanted so much to give him.   
  
It didn't take long. Though neither would recognize or admit it, the emotions between them did as much or more to push them towards the end than the simple physical act. Kakashi felt the struggle in the other man to fight it, could see it in his face. "Oh God, Kashi, no. Not yet, not yet..."   
  
"Yes, Tetsu, that's it, love, let go." He whispered, shifting slightly, hitting his spot harder, pushing him further. "Come, Tetsu, for me. Let me feel you come for me."   
  
"Kashi! Now, Oh God, now!" He shouted and, Kakashi closed his eyes, savoring his lover's orgasm. He reveled in the feel of his body shaking, shuddering, the muscles clamping down around him, milking his own climax from him. He shouted with it, Tetsu's name falling from his lips, filling him with his seed.    
  
They fell together onto their sides, Kakashi curling tightly around him. Neither could say a thing, both more than a little stunned by the power of what they'd just felt. The copy nin couldn't, wouldn't believe it. It wasn't possible, no way.   
  
But it was. He knew it was true. What was he supposed to do now? He'd never meant to actually love him.   
  
  
  
Kotetsu stared at the wall, his arms tightly wrapped around his lover's. He swallowed hard, trying to moisten a suddenly very dry throat. How was he going to get out of this mess? How was he supposed to fix this?    
  
How could he possibly love  _two_  people? Because he knew he loved Izumo. And now he loved Kakashi. What was he supposed to do now? He, Kotetsu, who'd never loved anyone like this before in his life, did. He loved two people. Oh, hell, what a mess.


	8. Chapter 8

Izumo grinned down at Iruka, curled into him on his bed. "I'm telling you, this is all your fault. You created it."   
  
Iruka laughed. "Yes, you've said that. And I'll take  _some_  credit for it. But you were already something of a lover before me."   
  
The older man snorted. "How do you figure? I picked women up in the bar and took them home for a few hours."   
  
The teacher just raised an eyebrow.   
  
"How do you do that?"   
  
"What?"   
  
"That teacher face."   
  
Iruka laughed. "You're not going to distract me so easily. It comes with years of practice. But not everyone would worry about what their date liked or go out of their way to find something to bring them. So, no, you can't pin it all on me."   
  
Izumo rolled his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed Iruka again, slowly this time. Their initial need had burned itself out pretty quickly, which is how the conversation got started in the first place. He loved how this man responded to him, loved the sounds he pulled from something as simple as a kiss. When they pulled back his lover moaned quietly. "God, you're going to kill me. I need  _a little_  recovery time."   
  
"It was just a kiss." Izumo affected an innocent look.   
  
"Ha. As if. None of your kisses are 'just' anything."   
  
"I can't help it you're so kissable. Those damned lips just demand it. And if they're not enough, those eyes practically beg for it. It's not fair that someone should have such beautiful eyes, such a kissable mouth  _and_  such incredible hair." He nibbled his way along Iruka's jaw to bury his face in that very hair.   
  
  
  
Iruka swallowed hard. He wondered if Izumo knew just how much was behind those words. Or what they did to him. Iruka closed his eyes, fighting his own emotions. He was damned close to falling in love with this man and he couldn't - could  _not_  do that. No no no. That would be disastrous. Because Izumo was, in the end, still in love with his best friend, even if he didn't realize it or want to admit it.   
  
Could it be there? Could they love each other? But what about Kotetsu? What about his best friend?    
  
Iruka realized he wanted it. Wanted to hear those words so badly. Wanted them from this man. How did that happen? How could he let himself get here? How did he let himself love him anyway?   
  
He still wanted Kakashi, didn't he? He sighed mentally. Yes, he did. That hasn't gone anywhere. So where did that leave  _them_ ?   
  
  
  
Izumo felt the mental shift, knew Iruka's mind wasn't quite there and he sighed. He pulled back and tried not to let it bother him. Kakashi! Kakashi! Kakashi! If the damned man wasn't an elite shinobi he'd be tempted to go pick a fight with him, just to let out some of this frustration. But he'd do nothing but end up in the hospital for his trouble. And he'd still have his frustration  _and_  a pile of broken bones to go with it.   
  
Why did it hurt so much for Iruka to think of the other man? But he knew the answer to that, even if he didn't like it. Even if he didn't want to admit it. Two days. Does something like that happen in two days?   
  
Why not? Yeah, apparently it can. And did. Shit.   
  
  
  
Iruka watched the facial expressions cross Izumo's face, and suppressed a sigh. Something was wrong, something that Izumo might not understand himself and though Iruka was, by far, not the most level-headed and intelligent when it came to relationships, he was, at least, a little more grounded than his lover was. "Zumo?"   
  
"Hmm?"   
  
"What's wrong?"   
  
Izumo's eyes refocused. "Nothing, Ruka. I'm... I'm sorry." He sighed.    
  
Iruka frowned, frustration wanting to leak through. He suspected Izumo recognized Iruka's own reticence and that's what caused his expressions. But how much was he willing to do? Did he want to risk the hurt when, not if, but when Izumo figured things out with Kotetsu? Should he take a chance and maybe have something with this man or absolutely never have anything with him? Because what if Kotetsu  _didn't_ want to leave Kakahsi?    
  
He sighed. He and Izumo could go on skirting it. They could try avoiding their own feelings for each other, but in the end it would only drive them apart. And then, if Kotetsu and Kakashi stay with each other, he and Izumo would have nothing. He swallowed hard, coming to a decision. "Zumo... make... love to me."   
  
The older man couldn't have missed the wording, couldn't have missed the intention. He stared at Iruka for a moment, taking a shaky breath at the look in his eyes. He reached up and brushed a bit of hair out of his lover's face, then leaned in and laid his lips over the younger man's. He kissed slowly, letting his emotions guide it, letting the feelings he knew where there for him out. He rolled them, then, until he was over him, and he eased into his lover once again.   
  
There, there it was, the look in those beautiful chocolate eyes, the emotion behind that kiss. For him? God, he hoped so. He may be messed up, he may still be unsure about Tetsu, but he realized he loved this man and he wanted him to know it. He could learn how to let go of Tetsu if  _this_  was real.   
  
He hoped, after it was all said and done, that Iruka could love him back. The request, the look in his eyes, the emotion he could taste in his kiss certainly made it seem like that was the case, but he could, in the end, be reading it wrong. He wouldn't know, though, if he didn't take a chance.   
  
He pulled back from the kiss and slid his hand up until it clasped Iruka's. He swallowed hard and met the other man's gaze. "Iruka..." he paused and took a deep breath. "I... I love you." He looked down, letting his hair fall over his face, unable to meet the other man's eyes after all.   
  
  
  
Well, he got it. And the words, those three simple damned words went through him. "I love you, too." Izumo's head came up and Iruka took his free hand to brush the hair out of his lover's eyes. He pulled his head down for another kiss and Izumo started moving.   
  
It shouldn't have felt different physically, but there was a new element to it now, a new feeling to it that wasn't there before, or, at least, wasn't recognized before. And so it did feel different. Everything seemed amplified somehow, closer to the surface, sharper.   
  
They moved together, worked to give each other that pleasure to show with their bodies what they couldn't say with simple words, what even those three words weren't enough to convey. Izumo had learned that this is what his lover liked best, this position, the ability to see, kiss, touch while they made love. And so as he gave, he kissed, he touched and he saw. He saw the emotion in those beautiful eyes, emotion for him.   
  
And when he saw that gorgeous face twist as his climax took over, he let go, too, his lover's name a shout, those simple words once more coming out.   
  
  
  
"I wish I didn't have to go, either," Iruka said, bending to kiss him again. They were leaning against the wall by the front door. It was ridiculously late for a work night, but it had taken a supreme effort on both their parts just to get that far.    
  
They were working to break the kiss when Izumo felt the chakra approach. He pulled back and sighed. "Tetsu's home. " He didn't stand up, though, didn't take his arms away, even though Iruka tried. When the door opened, he just glanced over his shoulder, "'bout time," he said, with a grin.   
  
Kotetsu blushed. "Like you have room to talk," he said, nodding toward Iruka.   
  
The teacher was blushing, too. "Yeah, uh, I really do need to get going. Tomorrow is going to be miserable."   
  
Izumo brushed the backs of his fingers across the blushing cheeks. "I  _am_  sorry for that." He pushed Iruka's hair back.    
  
"Let me cook for you tomorrow night. I have grading to do, but if nothing else, we can have dinner." The younger man said, finally straightening away from the wall.   
  
Izumo nodded. "Okay." He glanced over his shoulder to see Tetsu sitting on the couch. Since his friend didn't seem to want to move, he turned back and just kissed his lover anyway. "I love you."   
  
Iruka grinned. "I love you, too. Tomorrow. Um, be there at six and this time, don't worry about bringing me anything, really."   
  
Izumo laughed. "Okay. Six."    
  
Iruka waved at Kotetsu. "Bye."   
  
"Later, Iruka-san," Tetsu said, waving.    
  
Izumo watched him until he was around the corner, then turned back to his friend. "Did you want something?"   
  
"You love him?"   
  
Izumo blushed. "Yeah, I do."   
  
"Isn't that… fast?"   
  
He shrugged. "How the hell would I know? I've never loved anyone like this before." He sat on the couch and shoved Tetsu's feet off of the coffee table, earning a chuckle. "Why?"   
  
Kotetsu looked up at him. "I think I might love Kakashi."   
  
Izumo swallowed around the stab that caused, but pushed it away. Hadn't he just told his own lover the same thing? "Did you tell him?"   
  
"Not in so many words. But… I don't know." He sighed and let his head flop back onto the back of the couch. "Something happened tonight that was… different from how we usually are."   
  
Izumo nodded. "Yeah, I think I know what you mean." He paused and considered his friend. "You didn't say anything to him about it? Did he say it to you?"   
  
Kotetsu shook his head. "No. Again, not exactly. I did admit that I was worried about him."   
  
Izumo's eyes widened. "Wow. From you, that's practically a declaration of love." He raised an eyebrow and put a hand up to Izumo's forehead. It was slapped away.   
  
"I'm not sick," he grumbled. "He called me crazy."   
  
His friend raised his visible eyebrow. "Crazy?"   
  
"And outrageous. And sexy as hell." He frowned. "Told me I disrupted his nice calm life. Then he told me he loved it." He shook his head. "How the hell was I supposed to take that?"   
  
Izumo grinned. Despite the jealousy, he couldn't help but be a little happy for his friend. "Sounds like everything just shy of a love confession."   
  
"How is it so easy for you and Iruka?"   
  
Izumo's smile faded. "It wasn't." He stared at a spot on the couch for a moment. "That wasn't the first time we said it tonight. It gets easier after the first one, though."   
  
"What's wrong?" Kotetsu asked, quietly.   
  
Izumo looked up, clearing his throat. "Nothing."   
  
"Bullshit. All our lives, we've never lied to each other, don't start now."   
  
Izumo winced, then sighed, not knowing how much to say. He stared at his friend a moment, swallowing hard. "I think he loves Kakashi, too."   
  
Kotetsu blinked. "The teacher has a thing for Kakashi?"   
  
"Well, he did, at least. I… don't know if he still does. We… well, when we first started talking it was about… well, we… fuck." He closed his eyes. He couldn't say it, couldn't ruin his friend's happiness. "When we first started talking, I told him I was worried about our friendship. You know… all this time we've been dating, neither of us was serious with anyone."   
  
Kotetsu nodded. "Yeah. I think maybe we were looking at the wrong gender."   
  
Izumo chuckled. "I think you're right about that. Anyway, so, I was worried that with all of this… you know I couldn't figure out how I  _didn't_  know you were gay, or, at least, bi. And we started talking about it, Ruka and I. And… while we talked, I figured out that he had… has… had a thing for Kakashi. Told me that the man had told him, pretty emphatically, that he didn't feel the same way."   
  
  
  
Kotetsu stared at his friend. There was more here, he knew it. It hurt that Izumo didn't think he could tell him, but he also knew he couldn't force the issue without knowing what it was about. He sighed, then cleared his throat. "He was wrong."   
  
"What?" Izumo blinked.   
  
"Iruka was wrong. Kakashi has - had a thing for him, too. I think he still does, though he won't admit it."   
  
"Well, shit."    
  
"Yeah, look, I know he's cute, but damn, he's not all that." Kotetsu shook his head.   
  
Izumo couldn't help but chuckle. "Careful, Tetsu, your jealousy is showing."   
  
"I'm not jeal… oh hell, I am." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "That's new, too." He sighed. "What the fuck am I supposed to do with this?"   
  
Izumo sighed. "I don't know."   
  
"How does this happen? We both find people we're finally happy with and it turns out they love each other? Or, at least, like each other?" Kotetsu nearly whined it.   
  
"I don't know that, either." He yawned. "I do know that if we don't get to bed, though, we're going to fall asleep at the desk and we have work at the Hokage offices tomorrow."   
  
"Shit." Kotetsu sighed again and stood up. "But you're right. We'll just have to figure this out another day. Hey, um, if he doesn't get sent out tomorrow, he's coming here for dinner."   
  
"Okay. Good thing I'm going to Ruka's, then, I guess." Izumo said on his way into the bedroom.   
  
"Yeah, uh…is it going to bother you if he stays…um, a while?"    
  
Izumo stared at his friend. Hell yes, it would, but what could he say? "Iruka stayed, didn't he?"   
  
"Well, yeah." Tetsu shrugged one shoulder. "Okay, well. Um, night then."   
  
"Night." Izumo watched his friend go into his room. He stood there, half turned like he wanted to say or do something and Izumo had the worst urge to kiss him. Annoyed with himself for the thought, hurried into his own room and flopped down onto the bed.    
  
And buried his face right in his lover's scent. He took a deep breath of it and, despite the arousal that worked through his body and his rapidly hardening cock, he felt better. Even if Iruka still was interested in Kakashi, he'd told him that he loved _him_ . Even if Kakashi didn't hate the teacher, that didn't mean that they were suddenly going to declare love to each other and leave him and Kotetsu with broken hearts.   
  
Broken hearts? Geez, he was a mess if he was thinking like that. He shook his head at himself, tugged the sheet up and forced himself to settle in to sleep. Tomorrow really was going to suck.   
  
  
  
"So, Hagane, you start dating Kakashi and suddenly you're on his timetable?" Genma asked as they hurried through the door.   
  
"Fuck you, Shuranui," he replied, sucking down his coffee.   
  
"You wish. Raido's much hotter than you are," Genma said, laughing. He turned to Izumo, "what about you? Late by proxy?"   
  
Izumo rolled his eyes. "No, I was too busy trying to wake him up," he said, pointing a thumb at Kotetsu.   
  
"That's such bullshit. I was up before you," Kotetsu groused.   
  
"You were not. I was pounding on your door." Izumo glared at him.   
  
"Yeah, but I was already in the bathroom. Besides, you took too long in the bathroom anyway. That's really why we're late."   
  
"Oh, that's the bullshit, there. I don't take three hours to make my hair resemble a porcupine." Izumo drank more of his coffee.   
  
"Now, now, dear, no reason to let your jealousy over my hair show." Kotetsu laughed.   
  
"Fuck you," Izumo grumbled, settling in at the desk.   
  
Genma laughed. "God, you two are like an old married couple." He shook his head. "I'm getting more coffee." He grabbed his cup and headed down the hall.   
  
Izumo and Kotetsu stared at each other a moment, then shook their heads. Married, yeah, right. Like  _that_  was going to happen. Tetsu was in love with Kakashi and Izumo couldn't forget that. But that certainly made him wonder. Did men even get married in Konoha? And it reminded him that the first person he thought of wasn't Iruka. It was Tetsu.    
  
  
  
The day dragged, slower than the one before it, helped by the fact that Izumo was so damned tired. It seemed a little extreme, just for one late night, but he shrugged it off. Except that four cups of coffee and even exercise didn't wake him up. He ended up sleeping through lunch, only to be punched awake by Genma. He took it out on Tetsu, punching  _him_  awake as well who spent the next half hour complaining that he had no one to take it out on.   
  
By the end of the day, he was seriously considering cancelling his date with Iruka. But the truth was, even if he ended up falling asleep in Iruka's dinner, he couldn't do it, and really didn't want to. So, he hurried home to change, determined not to be late this time.    
  
When he got to the other man's apartment, though, he must have hit his second or third - or fourth - wind, though, because he was awake again. He grinned when the teacher opened the door. He'd changed out of his uniform, but was just wearing a loose pair of drawstring pants and comfortable long-sleeved shirt. Izumo, himself, hadn't had the energy to do much except get rid of his actual uniform and put on other casual clothes.    
  
"Hi." He grinned when he saw the hair was down and there was a hair tie around the other man's wrist. He'd obviously taken it down for him. He pulled Iruka up against him and proceeded to do his best to kiss his lover silly.   
  
When the broke apart, Iruka was a little stunned. "Hi. What did I do to deserve that?"   
  
"Look sexy." Izumo said, sidestepping Iruka and turning to close the door for him. "You okay?'   
  
Iruka shook his head and muttered something about scrambled brains. "I need to get back to dinner… just make yourself comfortable."   
  
The images  _that_  spawned in his mind nearly made Izumo want to forget all about dinner. He forced them to the back of his mind, then kicked his sandals off and made his way into the main room. Iruka, apparently, had a single large room, separate kitchen and separate bathroom and that was about it. The bed drew Izumo's gaze. It wasn't huge, but they could make it work.   
  
When he realized what he was thinking, he shook his head at himself and moved up to the bookshelves, reading the titles. He was a little surprised at the  _Icha Icha_ collection, but couldn't be too hard on the man. He had a few volumes of his own at home. Those were sprinkled through liberally with mysteries, crime novels and even some classic literature.    
  
A few minutes later, they sat down to a very delicious smelling fish, rice and vegetables. "Oh God, I'm definitely in love," Izumo said, when he took a bite of the fish. "You're better than Tetsu."   
  
Iruka laughed. "Thanks."   
  
"Men really are simple creatures," he said, when he'd finished chewing. "I keep trying to tell Tetsu this, but he doesn't listen. Feed us, give us sex and we're pretty happy."   
  
His lover laughed even harder. "You're right. Some of us simpler than others." At Izumo's raised eyebrow, he said, "ramen. Keep me in ramen and sex and I'll be happy."   
  
Izumo laughed. "See?"   
  
"Why doesn't he believe that?"   
  
"Well, I think he's still stuck on the idea that the other person, regardless of their gender, can't be that simple." He shook his head. "I don't know, the hentai doesn't seem that complicated to me, but I could be missing something."   
  
"No, from what I know, he'd probably be happy with that, too. Well, that and his books."   
  
"Yeah. Well, then, he should be happy tonight. Tetsu's cooking for him." Izumo said, sighing. "And he'll probably be there when I go home. Which, unfortunately, I'm going to have do to pretty early. Tsunade had us running all over the damned village this afternoon. "   
  
Iruka winced. "Sorry."   
  
"Why are you sorry?"   
  
He grinned. "I'm half the reason you're so tired today."   
  
"Only half?" Izumo asked with a raised eyebrow.   
  
"Well, it does take  _two_  of us to do all that." Iruka said, laughing.   
  
Izumo shook his head and went back to his food. "I'll have to admit that's true." He ate in silence for a few minutes, finding himself distracted by thoughts of the night before. He was suddenly having trouble sitting comfortably.    
  
He thought again about what Tetsu had told him the night before about Kakashi and Iruka. He sighed. If he told the teacher, he wondered what the other man would do. On the other hand, he felt horribly selfish, knowing what he did, and not tell him, either. He glanced up to see Iruka watching him. He raised an eyebrow in inquiry.   
  
"What's wrong?"   
  
He shook his head. "Nothing, really…" he started, but Iruka had the teacher face again. "God, that face is damned scary." He sighed. "Tetsu told me something last night." He sat back and considered the other man a moment. "He likes you."   
  
Iruka blinked. "Kotetsu?"   
  
"No." Izumo swallowed. "Kakashi."   
  
"Uh… no, he doesn't."   
  
"Yeah, he told Tetsu as much."   
  
"What?" Iruka blinked at him. "Why would he do that? That bastard! He's dating Kotetsu then tells him that he likes me?"   
  
Izumo couldn't help smiling at the outrage. "Well, he said he  _used_  to like you, but Tetsu thinks he's just covering it up."   
  
Iruka shook his head. "That's still a rotten thing to say to your current lover. Which leads me to my next question. Why are you telling me?"   
  
Izumo sighed. "Because I know how you feel about him and I was feeling awfully damned selfish by knowing and not telling you." He swallowed and stared down at his fish. "You know, we started going out because of them."   
  
Iruka didn't say anything at first, just played with the broccoli on his plate. "That may be true, but it didn't stay that way for long, did it?"   
  
The older man shook his head. "No, no it didn't. But…"   
  
"But what? Have you changed your mind?" Iruka looked up at him, and despite the attempts that Izumo knew Iruka was doing to hide it, there was fear there.   
  
"Hell no! No, I haven't." He reached across the table to take Iruka's hand. "Why would I?"   
  
Iruka shook his head. "Sorry. I don't know."   
  
"Have you changed yours? Does knowing this change us?" Izumo asked, forcing his own fears away.   
  
The teacher blinked at him. "No, it doesn't. I still love you."   
  
"Well, then," he sat back and smiled. "That's what matters, right?"   
  
Iruka considered him for a moment. "Yeah, that's what matters. "   
  
Izumo got up and moved around the table. Iruka looked up at him and he leaned in, kissing him slowly. "I love  _you_ ." He swallowed, "but if you decide you'd rather have him --" he put a finger on Iruka's lips when he started to speak, "let me finish. If you'd rather take your chances with him, I'd rather you tell me than try to hide it. So just… tell me, okay?"   
  
Iruka sighed. "I'm not going to." He frowned at the look on Izumo's face. "But I'll tell you."   
  
"Good." He gave him another kiss before sitting back down. They ate in silence for a while, then Iruka asked him about his day and they fell into more companionable conversation. They managed to make it through the rest of dinner without any more serious topics, for which Izumo was grateful.   
  
He insisted on helping to clean up. Iruka tried to get him to leave it, but he wouldn't do it. The younger man finally gave in, and Izumo was glad for it, because he caught the grateful look from Iruka when they were finishing up. He himself knew what it was like to be stuck with a mess.   
  
He'd had every intention of giving his lover a few nice long kisses, then leaving him to his grading and head home, especially since he was starting to feel really crappy, but that didn't seem to work too well. An hour later, they were curled up in bed together, both working to remember how to breathe. "You know, I  _was_  going to just go home." Izumo managed around his short breath.    
  
"Oh, so you were going to let me cook for you and I wasn't even going to get sex for it?" Iruka asked, trying to sound indignant.   
  
The older man laughed. "Right. I'm beginning to think  _you're_  the monster."   
  
Iruka chuckled. "Well, maybe it's one of those things where I had to be one to create one?"   
  
Izumo grinned. "Maybe." He looked over at Iruka - those big brown eyes, the adorable face, even his scar and swallowed hard. "I love you."   
  
Iurka's smiled faded. "I love you, too. What brought that on?"   
  
The older man shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know. I just… looked at you."   
  
Iruka blushed. "Well, I'll take it." He leaned over and kissed him slowly. Then Izumo ruined it by yawning.   
  
Iruka laughed. "Well, I know what you need." He dropped another kiss on him, then wiggled out of his arms. "Come on, handsome, time to go home."   
  
"I see. You feed me, fuck me, then kick me out." He shook his head. "I see what I'm good for."   
  
The teacher laughed again. "Yeah, yeah. Come on before I'm forced to carry your sleeping ass home."   
  
Izumo chuckled, then grabbed his clothes and started dressing, but he found himself actually swaying a bit as he pulled his pants on. "Damn, I don't know what's wrong with me." He shook his head hard to clear it, but only made himself sway harder. "Whoa. Shit, I wonder if I'm getting sick." He paused as he sneezed hard. "Aw, hell."   
  
"You okay?" Iruka asked, looking him over with concern.   
  
"Yeah, just getting sick. I'll be fine. Just gotta get home." He sighed. "Oh hell, I know when it happened. Last week, that downpour we got hit with, I was on the gates. Tetsu got called to the Hokage's office and I had to do it alone for a while. And one of the cart drivers that came through was sick, too. Doesn't help that I haven't slept much since." He yawned. "Damn. You're probably going to get sick, too." He frowned. "I'm sorry."   
  
"I'm a big boy, I can handle myself. Let's get you home first." He pulled his own clothes on quickly.   
  
"I can get home myself, you've got stuff to do." Izumo insisted, but then started yawning again which was interrupted by another sneeze.   
  
"It won't take long. Get your sandals." Izumo just stared at him a moment blankly. Iruka pushed his feet into his own, then picked up the other man's. He locked his door, pocketed his keys and wrapped his arms around his lover. A moment later, they were standing outside Izumo's apartment.   
  
"Whoa." He blinked owlishly at his door. "That had to take a lot of chakra."   
  
"I can spare it for a single trip like that. Come on, baby." He pushed the door open and hauled a swaying Izumo through the door.   
  
"Zumo?" Kotetsu came over, alarm on his face. He'd been sitting at the small dining table, Kakashi on the other side, still eating dinner. The copy nin stood up, watching them move into the room.   
  
"Sick. Said he got caught in a downpour last week and he, um, hasn't exactly been getting much sleep." Kotetsu snorted and Iruka blushed, but tried to ignore it. Between the two of them, they got him into his room. After hesitating for a moment, Kotetsu left Iruka to strip the other man and stepped out of the room.    
  
He got him settled and checked his forehead. He was already starting to run a temperature. He headed out to the main room. "He needs a washcloth."   
  
Kotetsu hurried into the bathroom leaving Iruka and a previously silent Kakashi alone. "Hi," Iruka started, then had to clear his throat. "Kakashi-san," Iruka said, blushing. Izumo's comment came back to him.  _He said he used to like you, but Tetsu thinks he's just covering it up._ _Aw, hell_ . Iruka was having trouble breathing all of a sudden.   
  
"Iruka-san." Kakashi said, nodding.   
  
They didn't say anything further, just stood opposite each other, staring in silence, that gaze making the teacher more than a little crazy until Kotetsu came back with the wet washcloth. "Thanks," Iruka said and, glancing once more at the copy nin, escaped into Izumo's room. Damn the man, he was unnerving when he stared like that.   
  
He bathed his lover's face down and stood for a moment, torn over what to do. He didn't want to leave him, dammit, but there wasn't much he could do for him. On the other hand, he didn't like the idea of Kotetsu or even Kakashi caring for him. He was  _his_  lover, now dammit and, well, he felt it was his job. He sighed and settled in on the side of the bed. He'd just have to grade his papers tomorrow.


	9. Chapter 9

Someone was arguing. Loudly. Shouting, even. He wanted to yell at them to shut the hell up, he was trying to sleep, but he couldn't move very well. He felt like complete crap. He hurt in a bunch of different places, including his head, he couldn't breathe very well, either through his nose or because of how heavy his chest felt. And to top it off, he was nauseous.    
  
"Dammit, I've taken care of him most of his life!" That was Tetsu's voice.    
  
"But he's  _my_  boyfriend," Iruka nearly shouted.   
  
He cleared his sore throat carefully. "Hey, you're the two most important people in my life. Do you think, maybe, you could get along? At least while I'm sick?" He opened his eyes carefully to see Iruka and Kotetsu facing off, both with their hands on their hips, glaring at each other. Their heads whipped around at the sound of his voice. It would have been almost comical if he hadn't been hurting so much.   
  
Iruka hurried over to him, perching on the side of his bed. "Hey, baby, how are you feeling?" Iruka asked, putting his hand on his forehead. Kotetsu came up to sit on the other side and there, beyond them, was a silent Kakashi leaning against the doorjamb.   
  
"Like I've been run over by about a thousand shadow clones." He closed his eyes, trying to simply concentrate on breathing. "Ugh." He started coughing, then. When he finally calmed down, Iruka had a washcloth in his hand and was bathing his face with it. "Don't you have school? What time is it? Not that I don't want you here," he said to reassure him. "I just don't want you to get in trouble over me."   
  
Iruka smiled. "I still have a little bit yet. Tetsu made you some tea. See if you can drink it?" The two of them helped him sit up.   
  
"God, I can't remember the last time I was sick like this," he said, taking the cup.   
  
"It's been a couple of years," Tetsu supplied.    
  
"Oh, right. I remember that. Two days in the mud on that mission." He sipped at the tea and couldn't help but smile when Kakashi laughed.   
  
"That would do it. Hey, both of you go to work. I can keep an eye on him. I don't have to report in yet." Kakashi stepped into the bedroom.    
  
" _Everyone_  go away. I'll be fine. I'm a grown man, not a little kid, geez," Izumo said, then ruined it with another coughing fit.   
  
All three of them turned back to him and it was more than a little unnerving for all that attention to be on him. He shook his head a little bit, making his hair fall back over his face. It didn't last, Iruka pushed the hair away from his left eye but, he noted, left the other side down. "Stop that," he whispered, then dropped a kiss on his forehead. He frowned, looking worried. "I do have to go to class, but I'll check on you at lunch. There's tea and a washcloth here and tissues." He stood up, "is there anything else you need?" He stopped and looked around. Both Kakashi and Tetsu had amused looks on their faces. "What?" He asked with an irritated scowl.   
  
Izumo tried not to laugh. He sounded so much like a mother hen right then. "I'll be fine, Ruka, I'm just a little sick." He chuckled, which turned into another cough. "Really, everyone get out. I'll be fine. You, too, Tetsu, get going before we both get in trouble." He threw a half-hearted swipe at his best friend who didn't even try to dodge it. "Ugh, I must be sicker than I thought if you just sat and took that." That was followed by three snorts.   
  
"Get some rest, Zumo, we'll check on you at lunch." He paused a moment, like he wanted to say or do something else, then he and Kakashi left.   
  
"I love you," Iruka said, dropping another kiss on his forehead. "Get your rest. I'll be back later."   
  
"I love you, too. Have a good day." Izumo watched him leave, waving when he finally closed the door. He sighed, closing his eyes. That had been… weird. He'd certainly never had anyone fight over him before. He shook his head, then realized that was a very bad idea. He rolled over, and sat up enough to sip more of Tetsu's tea before flopping back. There were definitely more pleasant reasons to spend the day in bed. He sighed again, staring at the ceiling and didn't even notice falling asleep again.   
  
  
  
"Really, I don't mind," Kakashi said, again. "Get going, you're already late."   
  
Tetsu sighed. He wasn't sure  _why_  he didn't want to leave Izumo in Kakashi's care, any more than he understood why he fought Iruka so much but he really did have to go. He shook his head and leaned up to kiss his lover one more time. "If you're sure…" he frowned. "I'll be back at lunch."   
  
"I'm sure, get going." Kakashi opened the door and practically pushed him out.   
  
"Okay, okay, bye!" Kotetsu threw a wave over his shoulder, then took off.   
  
Kakashi turned down the hallway and opened the other man's door quietly. He was either asleep or faking it. He stepped in and checked, but the younger man was definitely out. He straightened the blanket, collected the dirty tissues and empty tea cup and shut the door quietly.   
  
It had been a heck of a shock the night before to see Iruka. His body had reacted immediately and it had taken every ounce of control to not let on. His hair had been down. The loose pants hanging off of his hips showed just a bit too much of his hard stomach. And those damned deep brown eyes of his stared at right back at him.    
  
He'd managed to avoid the man, for the most part, for a long time, but he couldn't do so entirely. They lived in the same village, which, while fairly large, was small enough that they still ran into each other. Besides that, Iruka manned the mission desk sometimes, so the simple act of claiming a mission or turning in a report meant they saw each other, even if all he did was try his best to simply annoy the man when he did so. Then there was the fact that he and Naruto spent time together, most often at Ichiraku's, so when Kakashi was with the blond, they often ended up at the ramen stand at the same time.   
  
He sighed. He'd tried to  _not_  pay attention to him the night before, but every time he was anywhere near the man, it was impossible. He'd seen the look on Tetsu's face when he came back out with the washcloth. Kotetsu was jealous of Iruka and Kakashi wondered if that was because of him or his best friend.    
  
For all his supposed intelligence, getting involved with that spiky-haired bastard may not have been the best idea of his. He was fairly certain that, despite what he'd seen in his lover's eyes more than once now, Tetsu was still in love with Izumo. He didn't know it, that much Kakashi was sure of, but that didn't mean much. In the end, if they figured it out, he knew he'd find himself out in the cold.   
  
The most disturbing thought of all was that he wasn't sure just how upset he was by that thought. He was, there was no doubt about that, because knew he  _did_  love the other man, which annoyed him to no end. He simply didn't  _let_  people in and the damned annoying porcupine had managed to get around his walls.   
  
This was even further illustrated by the fact that he, Kakashi, was jealous of Izumo. Jealous. Of the little chuunin brat in there with his hair over one eye. He was dating Iruka. He was Tetsu's best friend and, whether either of them recognized it or not, was in love with him. And if Tetsu had any idea how much Izumo really did love him, it would all be over.   
  
Annoyed with himself, he grabbed a copy of  _Icha Icha Tactics_  that he saw on the bookshelf and settled in on the couch to read, keeping his ear open for his… he gulped… rival to wake up. God, he really was in trouble if he thought  _that_  word.   
  
  
  
When Izumo woke, he stared at the ceiling a few minutes, cataloging the problems. The overall achiness was a little better, his head felt a bit less stuffy and he realized he could breathe a little easier. Tetsu must have put something in the tea.   
  
He managed to sit up fine on his own and swing his legs over the side. He was going to have to make a trip to the bathroom, which seemed like a monumental task at the moment. Even feeling better, he wasn't looking forward to it. The worst part was that he was naked and would need to put something on. Getting out clothes and struggling into them seemed beyond his capabilities. He sighed.    
  
Then he glanced up to see that there were sweatpants at the bottom of the bed. He had no idea who set them out, but he couldn't bring himself to care right then. He was too grateful they were there. He managed to tug them on with major effort and stumble to the door. But by the time he got across the room, it swung open and Kakashi was standing there. That was the last man on earth he wanted to see. He stared at the man who stared right back at him and he wondered for a moment at the look he was giving him.   
  
Then he remembered that he was currently sharing a bed with Iruka, who Kakashi liked. He sighed, not having enough energy to fight. "I, um, need to get past you."   
  
Kakashi stepped back and Izumo worked very hard to stay on his feet, especially in front of the other man. But when it came to crossing the hallway, he swayed again and cursed. The last person he wanted to show weakness to was this man.    
  
The copy nin caught him and helped steady him. He took a deep breath, as deep as he could, anyway, and muttered a "thanks." Kakashi simply nodded and stepped back when he grabbed onto the door frame and moved into the bathroom. When he'd managed to finish his business, the man was still waiting on the other side of the door. He glanced at him and Kakashi offered a hand. Annoyed with the need for it, he grabbed it long enough to get back to the other wall, then disappeared into his room again, closing the door firmly.    
  
He made it to the bed and simply fell down into it. He landed face down and decided not to bother moving. But a few minutes later, there was a knock. "Yeah?" He called as loud as he could to the comforter his face was buried in.   
  
The copy nin obviously heard it and opened the door. "You can't lay like that. And you need some soup."   
  
Groaning, he flopped over onto his back. "There. I'm not on my stomach," he groused.   
  
To his further annoyance, the ass just laughed at him. "Come on, if I let you go, Tetsu will kill me."   
  
"Don't you mean Iruka?" Izumo asked, not realizing how jealous he sounded.   
  
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything, just picked up the younger man and dropped him onto the middle of the bed. Izumo glared at him. "You have a seriously shitty bedside manner."   
  
The copy nin just laughed. "Good thing I'm not a medic-nin, then, isn't it? Drink this," he said, picking up a cup of tea and shoving it into Izumo's hands.    
  
"What is it?" He peered into the cup, wondering if it was maybe poisoned.   
  
"It's not going to kill you, if that's what you think," he said, correctly reading the question. "Tetsu brewed it for you this morning. It'll help you feel better. I'll be back with soup in a minute."   
  
"I don't want any soup," he said stubbornly, contrary to the growling stomach they could both hear.   
  
"I can hear that." Kakashi said, leaving the room and a fuming Izumo behind.   
  
"Bastard," he said, quietly, then glared at the tea cup.   
  
"I heard that, too," the copy nin called and Izumo's scowl deepened, but drank the tea.   
  
When he brought the soup back, Izumo considered throwing it at him, but Kakashi gave him a look that told him he wasn't worried. "I'll simply hold you down and pour it down your throat."   
  
He glared again, too annoyed with the other man to think clearly. If he  _had_  been thinking clearly, he'd realize that the sooner he did what he needed to do - Kakashi's help or not - the sooner he'd be able to shove the other man back out the door. Instead, thinking only that if he didn't eat or get better, he'd piss off not only Ruka, but Tetsu too, he took the soup and ate it, but kept his bad humor.   
  
Kakashi simply shrugged and left the room, which Izumo was grateful for. He ate the soup quickly in silence, and found himself droopy before he'd even finished. He managed to stay awake long enough to eat all of it, then set it on the bedside table and passed out again.   
  
  
  
Iruka watched him sleep, unnerved by the other two men in the room. He'd considered waking him up, but knew his lover needed the rest. So, instead, he simply sat on one side, holding his hand and watching him sleep.   
  
His temperature was down, which was good. He might just get through this in a day or so. He seemed to be breathing better, too. He reached up and smoothed a little more hair out of his left eye, leaving the other one covered. He saw Tetsu look over at him at the gesture, but he did his best to ignore it.    
  
Kakashi was standing once again against the wall in the back. Iruka was very aware of his location at all times and it was starting to get to him. He could  _feel_  the other man looking at him, the awareness snaking up his back and he had the worst urge to reach back and scratch his back to get rid of it. He refused to give in to the feeling.   
  
Thankfully, Zumo chose that moment to wake up. He opened his eyes and looked around, zeroing in on him. He smiled. "Hi."   
  
It made Iruka feel ridiculously good that he talked to him first, then he could have sworn Kotetsu's spikes drooped a little at that. He shook himself mentally for the ridiculous thought. "Hi. How are you feeling?"   
  
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Much better." He glanced over at Kotetsu. "What was in that tea?"   
  
"Just stuff," Tetsu said with a shrug. "I'm glad you're feeling better."   
  
"Thanks." He looked from one man to the next, then settled his eyes back on Iruka. "What time is it?"   
  
Iruka glanced at his watch. He only had a little bit left before he had to get back. "Almost time for me to go, I'm sorry to say."   
  
Izumo actually looked disappointed at that and Iruka couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll be back after school." He bent to him and kissed his forehead. "I'm glad you're feeling better." Then, in his ear, he whispered, "you have to get all the way better so we can make love again."   
  
He sat back and managed to suppress the chuckle at the blush on Zumo's face. He patently ignored the glare from Kotetsu at it, dropped another kiss on him and stood up. "I'll see you after school, okay?"   
  
Zumo nodded. "Okay, but… if you have stuff to do, grading and lesson plans and stuff, you don't have to come over here."   
  
Iruka frowned. "If you don't want me to…"   
  
"That's not what I said. You're much better company than others," he sent a pointed glare at Kakashi and Iruka wondered at it, "but I don't want to get in the way of things you need to get done."   
  
Iruka shook his head. "At worst, I can grade scrolls anywhere." He squeezed his hand. "I'll see you later, baby." He tacked that last on for Kotetsu's benefit.    
  
Izumo gave a half smile, obviously picking up on it. "Okay." He glanced to the side, opened his mouth, but thought better of whatever he was going to say. "I… I'll see you, baby," he said, instead and Iruka felt a bit of disappointment, but he understood. He hadn't exactly gone out of his way to tell Izumo he loved him, either, though he wasn't sure if that was to spare Kotetsu's feelings or because of the presence of the copy nin.   
  
He waved again, nodded toward Kotetsu and started for the door. As he passed Kakashi, he brushed against his arm in the small room and swallowed hard when he felt that little touch go through him. Damn the man, he affected him without even trying. He forced his mind back to Izumo and headed out.   
  
  
  
"Tetsu, could I get a book or something? I doubt I'm going to sleep much this afternoon. I'm feeling a  _lot_  better, thanks, I think, to your tea." He turned to his best friend, and smiled, patently ignoring the silent copy nin leaning against the wall.   
  
"Sure, which one?"   
  
Izumo shrugged. "One of the  _Icha Icha_  books, I guess. Then you should go, too."   
  
"Yeah, I don't want to, but Tsunade has me running again this afternoon." Kotetsu made a face.   
  
"I'm sorry. You know what? I can get it, get going. Did you at least eat?"   
  
Tetsu shook his head, "no, but Kashi made me a rice ball to eat on the way back. And I can get you a damned book."   
  
"Really, I need to get up anyway. You know I hate laying around like this." So saying, he sat up.   
  
Tetsu stood, watching him sit up. "Well, if you're sure…"   
  
"I'm fine, really. Get to work. I'll see you later." He made a vague shooing motion toward the door.   
  
"Okay." He frowned and stared at him another moment, then waved and headed out, glancing at Kakashi, who followed him, to Izumo's relief. When they left the room, he got to his feet, grateful to feel himself steadier. He opened his door and concentrated on getting to the bathroom and ignoring the front room. He could still sense Tetsu's chakra right near Kakashi's and knew he didn't want to see what they were doing.   
  
When he came back out, Tetsu was gone and he made his way into the living room. "You really should get back to bed. You could make yourself worse this way," Kakshi said from the couch.   
  
Izumo snorted. "I'm sure you'd go right back to bed." This was patently ignored by the copy nin. He headed to the bookshelf and pulled a random  _Icha Icha_ novel off the shelf, turning back toward he bedroom.   
  
He settled in, determined to read and ignore the other person in the apartment, but it was hard to do. He sighed and set the book down, rubbing his face hard. The look Kakashi had given him earlier came back into his mind and he wondered, for a moment, if it really was Iruka he'd been thinking of. He couldn't be jealous of him and Tetsu, could he?   
  
That didn't make any sense. He knew the copy nin cared about Tetsu, but he - Izumo - and Tetsu were just friends. Best friends, maybe, but just friends. Why would he be jealous? Unless, of course, Kakashi recognized more in his face than he thought he'd let on. He frowned. If Kakashi could see it, could Iruka? Could Tetsu? Shit, he hoped not.   
  
He didn't think Tetsu would pick up on it, even if Kakashi and Iruka did. Iruka already knew he had feelings for his best friend, so maybe he wouldn't make any more out of it than what he already knew. In the end, he still didn't want to hurt the teacher. As much as it would hurt  _him_  the best thing that could possibly happen for Iruka was that Kakashi would finally get his head out of his ass and talk to him.   
  
He sighed. Maybe it didn't matter what gender a person dated, it  _was_  all too damned complicated. He stared at the ceiling a few moments, but he couldn't seem to make his brain put it all together. He forced himself back to the book, though he still didn't get into it very much.   
  
A short time later, Kakashi brought in a tray with more tea and soup. They stared at each other again and Izumo had no idea what to make of the look in his one visible eye. He cleared his throat.    
  
Kakashi set the tray down carefully. Izumo picked up the tea and considered the copy nin for a moment as he sipped at the hot brew. When neither of them said anything, Kakashi turned to go. As he got to the door, Izumo sighed and gave a grudging, "thanks."   
  
Kakashi paused and nodded. "I'll come back and get it in a few." Then he left.   
  
The younger man frowned into the cup, then drained it and moved on to the soup. He ate quickly, then put the tray back together, his mind a complete jumble, still. He had no idea what to make of the other man. He shook his head, determined to let it go.   
  
He must have fallen asleep before Kakashi came back because when he woke quite a while later, he felt much closer to normal and the tray was gone. He sat up again and stood, finding himself able to stand without any swaying. There was definitely something to normally being a healthy person, making it easier to recover from being sick. He did a few experimental stretches and when he could still move, he left the room.    
  
Kakashi was sitting on the couch,  _Icha Icha_ novel in hand, reading. Izumo frowned at him a moment, then sighed. "I'm sorry."   
  
The copy nin looked up at him. "Why?"   
  
"You were here to help me and I was an ass to you."   
  
Kakashi shrugged. "Not everyone likes to be taken care of."   
  
Izumo could have left it at that, could have let him think it was just being sick. But it wasn't in his nature to lie, which was one of the reasons he'd never been cut out for going undercover. He walked around the coffee table and took a spot on the other end of the couch. "I didn't like you."   
  
Kakashi blinked. "I'm sorry?"   
  
The younger man shook his head. "That's not exactly what I meant to say. I don't know you well enough to know if I like you or not. What I meant is that… well, I'm worried about Tetsu." It wasn't all of it, but at least it was  _closer_  to the truth.   
  
Kakshi set the book down and turned to him. "Do you think I'm going to do something to him?"   
  
He frowned again. "No. I mean, not deliberately, but… well, the whole concept of caring about someone, loving someone, is a new one for him." He smiled ruefully, "Tetsu's never been one to hang around someone for long before. His record is three dates."   
  
Kakashi chuckled. "I gathered that already."   
  
Izumo watched the look in Kakashi's eye carefully, the crinkle at the corner. Whatever he may feel for Iruka, he definitely cared for Tetsu, too. He sighed, rubbing his face, then let his hands drop. "I'm beginning to think the whole damned dating thing is overrated."    
  
Kakashi laughed. "I can agree with you on that one. Life is so much simpler if you're alone."   
  
Izumo found himself laughing. "That is true." He shook his head. "Awfully lonely, though." He paused. "Look, just… I just don't want to see him hurt."   
  
Kakashi stared at him a moment and he fought the urge to squirm under that gaze. "I have no intention of doing so."   
  
Izumo met the steady look a moment, then nodded, "I… believe that."   
  
They fell into silence for a few moments when there was a knock at the door. Izumo closed his eyes briefly looking for the signature, then recognized Iruka's chakra. He'd been masking it and he remembered that the man was former ANBU. He probably had to consciously  _not_  hide it.   
  
"What are you doing out of bed?" His lover demanded when he'd opened the door.   
  
"I'm feeling better," he said defensively.   
  
"Bed. Now." Iruka said, pointing toward his bedroom, using the teacher face and Izumo blushed.    
  
He glared at Kakashi, who was laughing, as he passed then paused, watching in fascination as Iruka apparently turned the teacher face on him and he stuttered to a halt, his own face coloring over the mask. "He's scary when he gets like that, isn't he?" Izumo asked in a conspiratorial whisper and Kakashi nodded.   
  
"What?" Iruka asked from behind him.   
  
"Nothing," he said, glancing once more at Kakashi before heading into his bedroom. He climbed into bed and watched as Iruka closed the door and dropped his bag. He pulled his vest off and dropped it down next to it, then he came over and surprised him by climbing up next to him in the bed.   
  
"I couldn't very well do this out there, could I?" He asked, settling in next to him and Izumo grinned, wrapping his arms around his lover.    
  
"No, I guess not. Did you have to turn the teacher face on me, though?"   
  
"I had to make sure you'd go." He said, a snicker in his voice.   
  
Izumo sighed. "You're just too good at it. You even cowed Kakashi and I'm sure that's no mean feat."   
  
"Ha. Hardly." He dropped a soft kiss on his forehead. "Well, looks like the fever is gone. How are you feeling, anyway?"   
  
"Good." He grinned.   
  
"Not that good. Not yet, anyway," he said with a stern look.   
  
Izumo pouted. "You're so mean, sensei."   
  
"I can be meaner. Next time, I'll bring a ruler with me," he threatened with a wicked grin.   
  
"Promise?" At Iruka's raised eyebrow, he laughed. "Just kidding. Really, I'm almost back to normal." He yawned, annoyed at himself. "Okay, better, anyway. I hate being sick."   
  
Iruka laughed and dropped another kiss on him. "Well, you should rest as much as you can. Settle in, I'll do my grading."   
  
He got up and grabbed his bag and Izumo curled up on his side, watching him get settled. He smiled at the way Iruka's forehead scrunched up when he tried to decipher someone's handwriting. He never felt himself go under, but the next thing he knew, he was being shaken awake. He opened his eyes to find Kakashi, of all people standing over him. "Uh, I need your help. I think they're going to kill each other."   
  
"Huh? Who?" He blinked up at the copy nin, trying to clear the cobwebs from his brain.   
  
"Your best friend and your lover."   
  
"What? What's going on?" Izumo rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up. He glanced at the clock to see it was dinner time.   
  
"They're trying to cook," he said in amusement.   
  
"Together? In Tetsu's kitchen?" Izumo's eyes widened.   
  
"Yeah." Kakashi said, "and I'm not sure I want to get between them."   
  
"So you're going to throw me in?" He shook his head and muttered, "I knew you had it out for me."   
  
Kakashi laughed. "You're sick, they won't kill you."   
  
"Great, thanks," Izumo said, standing up and heading toward the kitchen. He noted as he did so that he felt pretty much normal.   
  
They were squared off like they had been that morning. Both with their hands on their hips, both bent towards each other, noses only centimeters apart. Izumo would have been jealous, were it not for the red faces and angry looks.   
  
"It's my kitchen!"   
  
"You invited me to help! If you didn't want my help why did you ask?"   
  
"Because I  _thought_  we could work together!"   
  
"If what you were doing made any sense, maybe we could!"   
  
"Of course it makes sense! You can't cook pork like that!"   
  
"Why not?"   
  
"Because it would taste awful!"   
  
"It would not! And your method is so much better?"   
  
"How long are we going to watch this?" Kakashi asked him in his ear.   
  
Izumo shook his head, took his life into his hands, and stepped into the kitchen. "Um, guys?"   
  
"YES, it's better! It's not nearly so bland!"   
  
"Bland? BLAND? What you're doing is going to kill you! There's so much spice in it you won't be able to taste the pork!"   
  
"Guys?" Izumo tried again.   
  
"Zumo likes it that way!" Testu lifted the wooden spoon in his right hand and Izumo finally had enough. It was time to step in before fists started flying.   
  
"HAGANE KOTETSU! UMINO IRUKA! ENOUGH!" He roared. They both stopped dead and turned to him, blinking in shock. "If you don't stop bickering,  _I'm_  going to cook!" He stood, staring at them both, his arms crossed and one foot tapping.   
  
The color drained from Tetsu's face and Iruka looked terrified. They glanced at each other. "Um, you cook the pork, I'll make the vegetables?" Iruka asked and Tetsu nodded.   
  
"That works."   
  
Izumo spun around to see an admiring look in Kakashi's eye. "I might have to try that sometime."   
  
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure it would work the same for you. Can you cook?"   
  
"Oh, yeah, I can, good point." Kakashi said and they both beat a hasty retreat from the kitchen.   
  
The pork  _was_  a little spicy. It was something he'd never had the heart to tell Tetsu because it was one of the dishes he'd been proudest of. But he ate it, and ate just as much of the vegetables, doing his best to make them both happy.   
  
He tried to help clean up, but all three of them vetoed it. Even if he could fight Tetsu - who would have given in eventually, he couldn't do anything when Iruka gave the Teacher Face and Kakashi simply crossed his arms, the implied threat obvious. Izumo wasn't about to actually fight the copy nin over it. He sighed and sat on the couch with another cup of Tetsu's tea, instead. He wasn't sure he wanted to be in the kitchen with them, anyway.


	10. Chapter 10

When Izumo woke the next morning, he felt normal. Iruka had stuck around the night before as long as he could, doing his grading there with him. But after he was done, several apologies, and a pile of assurances from Izumo that would be fine, he headed home so he could get a few things done there that he needed to do. Izumo, not interested in spending the rest of the evening watching Tetsu and Kakashi together, had stayed in his bedroom and gone to bed early.   
  
As such, he was up on time and feeling just fine. He and Tetsu had an uncomfortable moment when he came out of his room to see Kakashi kissing him as he left. Up until that point, he'd never actually seen them do anything. They hadn't even so much as touched when he'd been around. He'd stared at his friend for a full two minutes, trying desperately to ignore the stab of pain until Tetsu raised an eyebrow.    
  
Izumo finally turned away, then hurried into the kitchen to pour his coffee and try to forget what he'd seen. "Zumo?" Tetsu asked from the doorway.   
  
Why the hell did that bother him so much? He'd known Tetsu and Kakashi were together, had sex, all that stuff. He'd just never seen it, and it had been like he'd gotten hit in the solar plexus. When he was sure he could speak without sounding shaky, he said, "I'm fine, just getting coffee. We can go." He put the cap on the thermos and turned around, but Tetsu didn't move.   
  
"Don't try to bullshit me. You can pass that off on anyone else, including your own mother, but not me," Tetsu said, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the doorway.   
  
Fuck. He was right, there  _was_  no way to bullshit him. The man knew him better, sometimes, than he knew himself. But what the hell could he say?  _Yeah, see, the thing is, when I saw you kissing Kakashi I realized just how much in love with you I am?_  Yeah, right. There went his attempt to not fuck things up between Tetsu and Kakashi. He swallowed, trying desperately to come up with something, but his mind stayed stubbornly blank. "Tetsu…"    
  
His friend just raised his eyebrows, waiting. "Um…" Izumo glanced at the clock. "We should get going, we don't want to be late."   
  
"Uh uh, you know we've got a few minutes," he said, standing up from the doorway and taking the few steps closer. Too close. That's all Izumo could think, too damned close. He wouldn't be able to keep from kissing him if he didn't back up. So he did the next logical thing, he took a step back himself. Tetsu blinked at him in surprise. "Zumo?"   
  
He closed his eyes at the look in his friend's eyes.  _He's in love with Kakashi. He's in love with Kakashi._  He had to keep reminding himself of this. He wasn't going to fuck that up for him. Dammit!  _I love Iruka. I love Iruka_ . _  
  
And Iruka and Kakashi love each other._ His inner-self reminded him. _  
  
Well, maybe. But that doesn't matter because Tetsu doesn't love me!_  He answered himself. He wondered briefly if he was going to end up in the padded wing of the hospital over all of this. _  
  
How do you know? Have you given him a chance to tell you he doesn't?_   
  
But what if he doesn't? How was that going to fuck their friendship up? He knew the answer to  _that_  question. You couldn't have one side in love with the other and stay friends. It just didn't work because eventually, the side that was in love would shrivel up. But that was already the case, wasn't it? He was already in love with Tetsu, wasn't he? He swallowed hard, trying to get a hold of himself.   
  
"Zumo, look at me." The command from his friend surprised him into opening his eyes.   
  
Tetsu had moved closer and was just a few centimeters from him again. Izumo's eyes darted from those beautiful slanted eyes to the mouth to the eyes again. He was trying to say something with them, but Izumo just couldn't quite figure it out. He looked… nervous, tense. Dammit, for once, he couldn't read his friend accurately! Izumo's heart was pounding and he briefly wondered if he was still sick, but he shoved it aside. No, he knew what was wrong. Sick, maybe, but sick in his heart.    
  
Because despite what he felt for Iruka, it was nothing compared to what he felt for Tetsu. Shit. "We… we really have to go, Tetsu. We're going to be late." It was cowardice, pure and simple and he knew it, but in that moment, he couldn't do anything else. He ducked around Tetsu and hurried toward the door.   
  
He jammed his feet into his sandals, grabbed his knapsack and opened the door. Tetsu didn't look at him as he put his own sandals on and picked up his own pack. Nothing more was said as the door was locked and they were on their way.   
  
  
  
Tsunade kept them running for the day. Izumo was actually glad for it, because it kept them from having much of an opportunity to talk. He'd gone to the academy to see Iruka for lunch and they'd spent the hour just talking and eating ramen together. He'd snuck one kiss in before the kids came back and found himself annoyingly disappointed by it.   
  
He made plans with Iruka for the evening to simply share take out and watch something old on TV. About half way through the movie, he'd given in to the need to forget everything for a while. He turned to Iruka and captured his lips, pouring a lot of his frustration and emotion into the kiss without even meaning to.   
  
"What's wrong, Zumo?" Iruka asked, brushing the hair out of his face.   
  
"Nothing." Izumo said, annoyed that he'd let it out, putting his problems on his lover. Iruka just gave him The Face again and he sighed. "You know how annoying it is that you're so good at that?" Iruka didn't bother to answer, just smiled and the older man chuckled, shaking his head. "How is it that both of you can read me so well?" He stood up off the bed and paced away a moment. "I saw them kiss."   
  
"Ah." Iruka said. That was all and that was enough. "Did it really hurt you that much?"   
  
"No." Izumo said, shaking his head and stuffing his hands into his pockets. He knew it sounded like the lie it was.   
  
He felt the younger man's arms come around him from behind and he rested his chin on Izumo's shoulder. "We knew going into this that things would be confusing."   
  
He twisted around in his lover's arms. "Yeah, but what the hell? I shouldn't even be feeling this. I love you - I really do." He sighed, looking up into Iruka's face, running his fingers over his cheeks, then pushing them through his hair.   
  
"We can't control who we love, Zumo," Iruka said, sadly.   
  
Izumo swallowed, considering him a moment. "Kakashi?"   
  
Iruka frowned. "I don't know. I…" He sighed. "Aw hell, yeah. I do, but it doesn't matter. No, you're not a stand in," he said correctly reading the look on Izumo's face. "I do want to be with you.  _You_ , Zumo, but we both know that what we feel for each other isn't the same."   
  
Izumo nodded. "Yeah." He looked up at him, taking in the frustration, the confusion, the sadness. "Let's… let's make love. Whatever it is, whatever it isn't, I don't care. I _do_  love  _you_ , and I need  _you_ ."   
  
Iruka stared at him a moment, then pulled him back to the bed. They took their time with it, savoring what they  _did_  feel for each other. This time when he slanted his lips over his lover's, he poured the love he did feel for him into it and he felt it returned to him. They spent a long time simply kissing, simply tasting each other, making love with just their lips and tongues.   
  
It took them quite a while to undress each other, following each piece of clothing with the need to touch and taste nearly every inch of skin that it exposed. Izumo had Iruka roll over, wanting, even, to kiss his back, trace his spine with his tongue. As he worked his way down, he stopped to kiss each rib, the dip at the top of his hips, the spot near his spine at his tailbone. He paused at that gorgeous ass and took a good deal of time simply kissing his way over it, too.    
  
And when he squeezed those cheeks gently, Iruka pushed his hips up, and Izumo found himself staring at that tight pink muscle. He leaned forward tentatively and put his tongue against it. The younger man moaned quietly and Izumo discovered that it tasted just like skin, like any other place on Iruka. He rather liked the musky scent and went back to running his tongue over it.    
  
Iruka was making such wonderful sounds from it that before he realized just what he was doing, he had his tongue pushed part way in. There was more taste here. It was different, but definitely not bad and so he kept going. "Oh God, Zumo that feels good." He pushed his tongue in as far as he could and was rewarded with an even louder moan. So, he continued, thrusting his tongue into his lover, savoring the quiet moans and gasps of breath.   
  
Before long, though, he wanted, needed to be inside of him. Needed to bury his cock in that tight heat and he pulled back to dig the bottle out of the drawer. He leaned over, kissing his way up Iruka's back as he slipped the first two fingers into him. God, he was so on already, relaxed and open. He nibbled at the shoulder under him, the sounds coming from his lover causing his own cock to jump and strain further. "Lift your hips, baby, let me have you," Izumo whispered.   
  
He sat back up long enough to squeeze more of the slick liquid over his cock. Then he bent over Iruka, who'd shifted until he was up on his knees, and nudged his anus. Slowly, he went incredibly slowly pushing into him, savoring the feel of that tight body around him. "God… Iruka, fuck, there's nothing like you."   
  
"Zumo, Yes. I love how you feel." His voice was strained, the emotion and need obvious. He put one hand back over Izumo's on his hip, needing the touch.   
  
When he was finally buried completely, he bent over the younger man, wrapping his arms around him, just staying there for a moment, filling his lover. Iruka's arm came around his and held him. He tilted his head back and turned to look over his shoulder. "I love you."   
  
"I love you." Izumo dropped light kisses on his cheek and across his back, then started moving, unable to keep still for long. He was able to keep it slow for a while, wanting, needing to make it last.    
  
He sat back, pulling the younger man with him until he was riding him, then, and Izumo nearly went crazy at how tight he was, how good it felt. "Fuck, Ruka, so good." He wrapped his arm around his lover and took his cock into his hand. He ran is finger through the stream of pre-cum leaking out and spread it over the head, thrilling at the loud moan it brought. He grabbed the bottle and put a little over that fantastic cock, helping his hand move over it. He loved the feel of it in his hand, the way Iruka responded so well to what he did.   
  
"Oh fuck, Zumo, if you keep that up, I won't be able to hold it." He lifted his hips and brought them down harder, riding him faster, meeting his thrusts. Izumo concentrated on stroking his cock, his hand moving faster, trying to bring him to orgasm soon. He was close, so fucking close, he couldn't think straight. He was holding on so carefully and the only hope he had was of focusing on the other man.    
  
He shifted, finding the right angle again, aiming for Iruka's prostate, finally, finally finding it. "Oh God, oh fuck oh God." He wrapped his arm behind Izumo's head, grabbing onto his hair, fisting his hand in it. "Fuck, oh fuck I'm coming. Now, oh fuck, NOW!" He shouted the last, slamming down onto the older man's cock hard, nearly screaming with his climax. His ass squeezed Izumo, his cum shot out of him, coating the comforter, pillows, Izumo's hand, their legs and the visuals alone would have been enough to make him come. The muscles squeezing him only added to it.    
  
His climax was hard, so hard Izumo nearly blacked out. His shout was wordless, his body caught up in it, every individual part feeling like it was climaxing separately. The orgasm went on, dragged out of him by the body on top of him. He held there what seemed like forever, pumping his cum into the other man's body, filling him with it. They strained together for what felt like an eternity until they finally came down from it, both of them falling onto the bed managing, just barely, to avoid the mess.   
  
Izumo snuggled into Iruka's back, wrapping his arm around him as tightly as he could. He dropped soft kisses all over his back and felt the answering ones on his hand. They didn't need to say anything, couldn't say anything. It was the kind of thing that words would only ruin.    
  
  
  
Eventually, they stirred, managing to pull themselves off of the bed. By silent agreement, neither wanted to go anywhere and so without a word, they worked together to change the pillow cases, dig up a new blanket and then curl back up together. Izumo would have to get up very, very early the next day but somehow, he couldn't muster the ability to care. The last thing he wanted to be was away from Iruka.   
  
But an hour later, they were still awake, still tangled up together the way they had when they'd laid down. "You should tell him."   
  
"What?" Izumo glanced down where Iruka had his head nestled on the older man's chest.   
  
"I think you should tell Tetsu how you feel."   
  
Izumo tried to ignore the stab the words caused. "I can't. Entirely aside from it not being the right thing for you." Izumo unconsciously tightened his arms around Iruka.   
  
"Why can't you?" _  
  
Besides wonder if the suggestion comes from your want of Kakashi?_ "I… I know this might hurt you, but I don't want to fuck up what he has with Kakashi. I don't want him to think that he has to stop seeing him because of me."   
  
Iruka sighed. "I guess I can understand that. But… can… can you be happy with me?"   
  
Izumo swallowed. Fears. The fact that it was fear behind the suggestion and question eased a few of his own. "Can you be happy with me?"   
  
"Touché," Iruka answered, snuggling into the older man's side a little more.   
  
"Look, it may not be what you feel for Kakashi, but you love me. I love you, even if it's not quite what I feel for Tetsu. We know this. But, we do love each other, we  _are_ friends, we understand what the other one is feeling. We enjoy our time together. That's more than a lot of people get."   
  
"You're right. Hell, it's more than I had a week ago." He looked up and the Izumo gave in to the urge to kiss him again.    
  
"Let's just try to enjoy each other." Izumo swallowed the lump in his throat and stared into those big brown eyes. "Let's just… love each other as much as we can."   
  
Iruka nodded, then curled into the older man's chest again. "I love you, Zumo."   
  
"Love you, Ruka." They tightened their arms around each other, but it would still be a while before either fell asleep.   
  
  
  
He wasn't home. Tetsu stared at the empty room, the made bed and couldn't seem to make his brain work quite right. He wasn't home.    
  
He knew where he probably was, but that wasn't much comfort and maybe even made him feel worse.    
  
They were due at work soon. He had no idea what to do. He stared into the empty room for another moment, then turned away to get himself ready.    
  
But with only ten minutes left before he had to leave, he still wasn't home and Tetsu was starting to get both angry, annoyed and worried. He got his breakfast, trying to figure out why it hurt so much to just get ready for work without him. Why did the apartment seem so empty all of a sudden?    
  
He had his attention focused on pouring the coffee when he felt the chakra signature. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the doorway. But Zumo passed the kitchen without a word and went straight to his room.    
  
The anger won. FUCK! What the hell was wrong with him? He knew he'd seen him kissing Kakashi and that's the only thing Tetsu could come up with that had happened before Zumo had started to act weird. But they'd been seeing each other for a week now. It's not like his friend didn't know they had a physical relationship.   
  
He just couldn't think of what else it could be. Annoyed to no end, he marched down the hallway to Zumo's door and didn't bother knocking, he just pushed it open. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"   
  
Izumo blinked at him. He was standing next to his open closet, stark naked. Kotetsu had to force himself to not stare at his friends body. Dear God, he was sexy. He'd seen him naked before, taken care of him after missions. So that was nothing new, but it was different looking at him now. Because now he could recognize just how sexy he was, how much he appreciated the other man's body.    
  
He couldn't stop looking at the chest that was more muscular than he remembered it being or the arms that reminded him of the night they'd watched the movie. He carefully pulled his mind back to the present. "Excuse me? And when the hell did you decide it was okay to barge in without knocking first?" Tetsu forced his eyes back up to the other man's face at the angry questions.   
  
He knew he'd been wrong to do it and it only succeeded in pissing him off more. "Fuck that. What the hell? You stay over there the night before work without a fucking word to me? Then you show up the next morning and walk  _by_  me without so much as a 'fuck you, Tetsu'? What the fuck? And don't  _even_  try to tell me you didn't know I was there, because we both know that's bullshit. You know my chakra."   
  
He watched the emotions play across his friends face and the confusion that settled into him only annoyed him further. He had no idea what was going on in his friend's head. He'd  _always_ been able to read him. He knew him - they knew each other - better than they knew themselves. But he couldn't figure out what he was thinking. "Zumo, talk to me, dammit!"   
  
Izumo turned his back and Tetsu was momentarily distracted by the tight ass. Fuck, he was messed up. Something was wrong with his friend and all he could seem to do was look at his naked body. He shook his head at himself while Zumo yanked a uniform out of his closet, then marched over to his dresser. Tetsu watched him fight with something in his head while he dressed. "Fuck you, Tetsu? Is that what you want from me? Cause I can give you that."   
  
He blinked. "Hell no, that's not what I want. But damn, Zumo, what the hell am I supposed to think?"   
  
Izumo slumped onto his bed, the fight going out of him. "Sorry. I should have said something about staying, but I didn't think I would be."   
  
That wasn't even the half of it, wasn't even the biggest part of it, and they both knew it. At a loss for how to approach it, he glanced at the clock. "We're going to be late again."   
  
"Go ahead, there's no reason for you to be late because of me." Izumo stood up and started dressing again.   
  
"We've been going to work together for years, I'm not going to change that now."   
  
"You went yesterday." He pointed out.   
  
Tetsu rolled his eyes, sighing. "You were sick, that doesn't count."   
  
"Besides, what happens if things get more serious with you and Kakashi? Or me and Iruka? You think we're still going to walk to work together if one of us ends up moving in with one of them?"   
  
Move in? Was Zumo really that gone over the teacher? He swallowed hard, the thought harder to take than he would have guessed. "I'm… going to get the coffee. Hurry up," he said, avoiding the questions and escaping his friend's room. _  
  
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck! What a fucking fuck of a clusterfuck!_ Tetsu stared at the wall, sorely tempted to put his fist through it, working to contain his erratic emotions. He had to get a grip. They  _did_  have to work that day, but thank God it was Friday. He'd force his friend to sit down and talk with him, get some of this out in the open. They couldn't spend the whole weekend apart, dammit.   
  
With that comforting thought in his head, he grabbed the coffee, a rice ball for Zumo and hurried out of the kitchen. They met at the front door, neither saying anything. Both of them gathered their stuff in silence and headed off to work.   
  
  
  
He was avoiding him. He knew it, knew that's what he was doing, but he couldn't quite do anything different, either. He was being a coward, but even telling himself that didn't seem to be enough to make him change it. So he ignored the little voice that was saying it and kept dodging his best friend.   
  
The last major rush of missions before the weekend, including those that got sent out on longer ones meant that they were plenty busy for the morning. Izumo hurried out with Iruka at lunch to spend their hour at Ichiraku's and that afternoon he managed to keep himself occupied with a full office and mission report turn ins.   
  
He and Iruka made plans to spend most of the weekend together. The teacher had invited him, undoubtedly recognizing the turmoil going on in his head, so he was even going so far as to bring a few things over and simply stay. He'd have to talk to Tetsu enough to tell him not to worry because he knew he'd never get away with a note, but if he could do it, he was hoping he could manage to keep it to just those few words.   
  
He couldn't be that lucky. When they got home, before they even got past the entryway, his friend turned to him. "We need to talk."   
  
"Um, Ruka's expecting me. I'm due over there in a little bit. I was just going to tell you that I'm planning to be there most of the weekend, so if you don't see me, that's why." He swallowed, praying that Tetsu would just accept it and not make an issue out of it. Yet again, he should have known better.   
  
Kotetsu simply stared at him, a stunned expression on his face. "Most of the weekend?"   
  
"Yeah, um, I've got to get a few things together." He moved to go past him, but Tetsu put his hand out.   
  
The other man shook his head. "So… what? Your best friend can't even get a few minutes of your time anymore?"   
  
"Don't you have plans with Kakashi? Or did he get sent out?" Izumo asked, working to ignore the hurt in Kotetsu's face.   
  
"No, he didn't get sent out and yeah, we're going out tonight, but… what does that have to do with talking to me?" He scowled.   
  
"Don't you have to get ready?"  _Please, Tetsu, just let me go._  He begged silently.   
  
"This is Kakashi, remember? I've got a few minutes." Tetsu reminded him.   
  
Izumo sighed.  _Fuck._  "Come in and talk while I get my stuff." Maybe, just maybe, he could at least keep his face hidden and his emotions out of his friends view.   
  
Tetsu followed him into his room, standing in the doorway. Izumo dropped his knapsack onto his bed and went to his dresser to pull out his clothes for the two days. "What did you want to talk about?" He asked, attempting to sound like he was asking about the weather. He folded his clothes up and stuffed them into his bag.   
  
Tetsu sighed. "What's wrong with you? With us?"   
  
"What do you mean? We've just been a little wrapped up in our boyfriends." Izumo said, hoping that the slight hitch in his voice wasn't obvious.   
  
"A little wrapped up? You've been with him with almost no break since you started seeing him!" Izumo flinched at the shout.   
  
"He went home early Wednesday night." Izumo pointed out, stepping around his friend to head to the bathroom for his toothbrush and hairbrush.   
  
"That's nothing. One night. Besides, you were sick," Kotetsu said, following him.   
  
"And Kakashi was here the whole damned time," Izumo said, gritting his teeth. _What the fuck? Hypocritical much?_   
  
"Half the reason he was here was to help take care of you!" Izumo conveniently ignored the frustration in Kotetsu's voice.   
  
Izumo whirled to face him. "I didn't ask for it! In fact, I told him to go! I would have been  _just fine_  without him here, thank you." He shoved the brushes into his pack and yanked on the string to pull it closed. He was forgetting stuff, but in that moment, he didn't give a shit. He'd buy it if he had to, he just needed to get out of there. Away from the emotion, away from Tetsu. Before he did something they'd both regret. "I'll be home by Sunday night."   
  
He stepped around his shocked friend and headed for the door. "Wait, Zumo…"   
  
Izumo stopped with his hand on the knob, his breathing unsteady, staring at the back of the door, not moving, not turning around. He fought his emotions, fought to control his breathing, fought the urge to turn around, pin his friend to the wall and force him to recognize that he loved him more than Kakashi ever could. "What, Tetsu? What? Just… enjoy your time with Kakashi, okay? I'll… I'll see you Sunday."   
  
"No, God dammit, no!" Tetsu shouted and the next thing Izumo knew,  _he_  was turned around, pushed up against the wall and his friend's mouth was on him.   
  
And oh God, it was good. So much more than the tiny kiss during the movie. There was anger behind it, yes, but there was also… desperation? Fear? What was that other emotion? He couldn't place it all, couldn't sort through it. But he couldn't stop his response, couldn't hold back if he wanted to.    
  
His mouth opened, their tongues slid along each other and the kiss deepened. His arms went around his friend, Tetsu's hands slid down along his side to cup his ass and pull him closer. Nothing… nothing in his existence felt better than this man. Their bodies felt so right up against each other, their lips fit perfectly, tasted just…right. His brain was screaming for him to stop. Stop the kiss, it wasn't right. Just pull away, just  _go_ . But his body refused to acknowledge the order. _  
  
Iruka_ . This wasn't Iruka, it wasn't the one he'd committed to. It wasn't his boyfriend.   
  
No, it was the one he was in love with, the one he wanted, needed, more than anyone else in the world. More than food, more than water… maybe more than air. Tetsu. The one he couldn't have. The one that wasn't  _his._  The one that belonged to someone else.   
  
He pulled his face back, and yanked on Tetsu's shirt, trying to pull him away. When he didn't move, he put some chakra behind it and pushed on his shoulders instead, hard. Finally, his friend moved back, both of them panting heavily, both of them staring, open mouthed at each other. Shock, anger, pain, confusion, fear, all of the above were warring for dominance on both faces.   
  
"What the fuck? I'm not Kakashi!" It was the first thing his brain could send to his mouth.   
  
"No shit!" He shouted. "Do you think I don't know that?"   
  
"Then what? WHAT? Why, Tetsu? Why?"   
  
When his friend just stared at him, his mouth stubbornly closed, he turned, yanked at the door and escaped through it.   
  
  
"Because I love you." Kotetsu whispered when he was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

It took him until he was half way to Iruka's to calm down. He flopped down onto a nearby bench and stared at his feet. What had that been all about? Did he? Could Tetsu love him? God, why the hell not?   
  
If he was in love with Tetsu and they were both so much alike, didn't it stand to reason that maybe his friend was as confused as he was? Maybe he really did love him, after all.    
  
But where did that leave the other two? Where did that leave Kakashi and Iruka? _  
  
With each other._  The thought came unbidden and he stared into space for a few moments, trying to think it through, to work through the muddy mess in his head.   
  
Maybe this didn't have to be so hard. Maybe… maybe they could all end up with what they really wanted. Then his own fears reasserted themselves a little. But… but he didn't know, for sure, what Tetsu wanted. He knew where Iruka's heart really lay, he knew what he, himself wanted. And if his friend was right, he knew that Kakashi still wanted the teacher.   
  
He looked to his right, back the way he came. Tetsu was that way, maybe hurt, definitely confused. Getting ready for his date with the copy nin. Izumo closed his eyes and dropped his head, fighting the emotions.    
  
He looked to the left. There, that was Iruka's apartment building in the distance. He was waiting for him. They were going to have dinner together, go see a movie. Then, very likely, spend the rest of the night making love. Izumo swallowed at that thought, his mind going to the kiss with Tetsu a few minutes ago.    
  
Which way should he go? What should he do?   
  
He buried his face in his hands and didn't notice the person come up until he felt the chakra nearly on top of him. He looked up to see Genma standing in front of him, chewing, as ever, on his senbon needle. "Problem?"   
  
Izumo started to laugh. Small chuckles that spread into chortles that became guffaws that turned into a full-fledged belly laugh. His friend just stood there, patiently waiting for him to finish. "Oh God. I'm going to end up in the padded wing of the hospital, Gen, I swear." He shifted over on the bench.   
  
"I'm seeing this." He took the seat next to him and crossed his leg. He pulled the senbon out of his mouth and played with it a moment. "Care to talk about it? Is this about Iruka?"   
  
Izumo turned to him, blinking. "Please, even if the rumor mill hadn't been going on about it for the last week, it's hard to miss. You've spent just about every lunch break with him. You've been seen holding hands and kissing more than once." Genma chuckled at the color on the younger man's cheeks. "You may as well have tattooed your name on his ass."   
  
Izumo sighed. "Yeah, it's about Iruka. And… Tetsu."   
  
Genma raised an eyebrow. "Ah." He nodded. "I think I see."   
  
"Um, it gets worse. I know the rumors of Tetsu's… boyfriend are out there, too."   
  
"Yeah, Kakashi. That was a surprise." Genma said with a chuckle, shaking his head.   
  
"Well, I… think Tetsu has actually…" he gulped, "fallen in love with Kakashi."   
  
"Really? Well, that's… something." He chewed thoughtfully on the needle, staring at the other man for a moment. "You know, before he died, I was thoroughly in love with Hayate."   
  
"Oh?" Izumo said, turning to him.   
  
"Yeah. He never had a clue. He was as straight as a well-crafted kunai, not even remotely interested in men. So, I, of course, never said anything. Kept it to myself for years. Then he died and I went a little crazy. But Aoba and Raido were there for me, stepping in and pulling my sorry ass out of my grief. They'd been seeing each other for a long time and I was so fucked up over Hayate, that I never noticed, never knew. First, because I'd been in love with him, then because I lost him." He sighed.    
  
Izumo just stared at him in silence. He'd known there was a story around Genma and Raido, but he had no idea just how crazy it was. They hadn't said and he never asked, figuring that, even if they were good friends, it wasn't his place.   
  
"Turns out Aoba wasn't really in love with Raido and vice versa. They were together because the ones they  _really_  wanted didn't want them. Oh, they cared about each other, but…" he trailed off, shrugging one shoulder.   
  
"Yeah. Um, I think that's Ruka and I." Izumo blinked at him, then turned to stare at his feet again. "What happened?"   
  
"Well, you know that Raido and I are together now." Izumo nodded. "Yeah, see, Aoba had a thing for another jounin. Guy named Daichi who didn't even know Aoba existed. At least, to hear Aoiba talk." He chuckled. "Turns out, Daichi had the worst crush on Aoba and was afraid to approach him." He shook his head. "Let's face it, Aoba  _can_  give off a total 'fuck off, untouchable' vibe." Izumo laughed. "Right. Anyway, so, Raido finally decided to do something about them. Apparently, he'd overheard Daichi mention something about Aoba. So, he went and told Daichi all about Aoba and it worked out. Of course…"   
  
"That left Raido out in the cold." Izumo finished, frowning.   
  
"Yeah. Well, sort of. Because he'd never been willing to approach me with what he felt until Aoba was out of the picture."    
  
"Not wanting to hurt Aoba," Izumo guessed.   
  
"Bingo." He pulled the senbon out again, considering the tip of it. "You can probably imagine my reaction. Especially when Raido told me that he thought we couldn't be friends anymore because to it."   
  
"He said that?" Izumo asked, his chin dropping. He'd been thinking the same thing, but knew that he'd never go through with it. He needed Tetsu in his life too much, in whatever way he could get him.    
  
Genma nodded. "Yup. Was convinced that, not only could I not love him - because of Hayate - but that because it was all one-sided, we couldn't be friends, either."   
  
"Yeah, I know how that line of thinking goes." Izumo paused. "So… what did you do?"   
  
"I kissed him." Genma said, grinning. "Shocked the hell out of him." He laughed at the memory.   
  
Izumo stared. "I guess."   
  
"Then we fought, sparred, kissed, fought some more. And somewhere in there, ended up in the middle of sex." Izumo caught the look in the other man's eye as he remembered and looked away from it.   
  
Izumo swallowed. "Tetsu kissed me. Right before I left."   
  
Genma considered him. "Did you fight?"   
  
"Yeah." Izumo sighed. "Not… physically, you know."   
  
"Yeah. I think that's worse, though. Sometimes it's easier to throw a punch than say words. Did he tell you how he felt?"   
  
"You're right about that." Izumo shook his head. "No, he didn't. Just kissed me. When I tried to ask him why the hell he'd do that, he just clammed up."   
  
Genma just laughed again. "Yeah, you know, gay or not, we're still men. We're good at that."   
  
Izumo chuckled. "No shit." He sighed again. "Fuck, what a mess. Cause, you know what? I do care for Iruka. Hell, I love him. How does that work?" He looked over at Genma again.   
  
"I never stopped loving Hayate. I always will, to a point. And I'm quite sure that Raido and Aoba had feelings for each other, even if it wasn't what they felt for me or Daichi. But I realized somewhere along the way that it wasn't nearly the same as how I felt about Raido. And damned if I didn't get my face smacked with it the first time he kissed me." He shook his head. "That fucked with me. Seriously fucked with me. Which is what started the fight. I kept feeling somehow like I was cheating on Hayate, which was a pile of shit. Even if he wasn't dead, we weren't involved."   
  
"Huh." He frowned at his feet, then buried his face in his hands again, rubbing it hard. "I don't know what the hell to do, Gen."   
  
"Talk to your best friend. He has a right to know how you feel, one way or the other." He dropped a hand on Izumo's shoulder and squeezed before standing. "Rai and I have been together for four years now. And I don't regret a single day of it. If I regret anything, it's not seeing it sooner. Talk to him."    
  
"Night, Gen. Thanks." Izumo said, then returned the wave Genma threw at him as the other man walked off. He continued staring at his feet for a moment. He still wasn't sure exactly how to go about it, but he knew what he needed to do. Feeling a lot better, he stood and turned left, taking off at top speed.    
  
  
  
When he knocked on the door a short time later, he felt a stab in the vicinity of his heart at what he was about to do. Iruka opened the door, a smile on his face. "Hi."   
  
"Hi." He swallowed, staring at the man in front of him, trying desperately to just breathe. The smile was making it harder. "I… I can't stay. You… were right, Ruka. I need to talk to him."   
  
Izumo watched the smile fade and the Adam's apple bob, but the other man nodded.  _Why did his own chest feel like he had a steel band around it?_ "Good." Iruka stared at him a minute, then stepped forward. Izumo watched the other man fight with his emotions, brushing a bit of hair out of Izumo's face. "I don't know what happened or what will, but…" he took a deep breath. "But if things… don't work out, come back here. At least let me be a friend, okay?"   
  
Izumo closed his eyes, fighting for control. He took a deep breath and looked back up at Iruka. "You're too good for anyone, Iruka." He leaned up and kissed him softly.    
  
"Ha. Ask my students that," he said after returning it. Izumo knew he was forcing the casualness, but there was nothing he could say. Iruka brushed a bit more hair out of the older man's face, dropped one more quick kiss on his forehead, then said, "now get going."   
  
Izumo stared for another few seconds, working to resist the urge to forget the whole damned thing and stay. Then he nodded, gathered his chakra and transported away.   
  
  
  
He wasn't gone yet. Izumo breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the chakra in the living room.  _One_  chakra signature. Thank God. He opened the door and stepped in.   
  
Tetsu was sitting on the couch, looking… upset. Izumo paused and frowned at his friend. "Tetsu?"   
  
His friend looked up at him. "Hey." He didn't say any more and Izumo went over to sit next to him.    
  
"What's wrong?"   
  
"I…" he started, staring up at his best friend. "I…" he gave up, closing his mouth.   
  
Izumo swallowed. "Did Kakashi… come by yet?"   
  
Tetsu nodded. "He got called out. Just an escort mission, couple of days."   
  
"Oh. Are you okay?"    
  
"Fine." Tetsu said, but Izumo knew the lie for what it was. There was more there, but Izumo wasn't up to pushing about it right then. He just didn't have the mental capacity. "Why are you home? I thought you were going to be with Iruka this weekend."   
  
"Oh, um, I…" he took a deep breath. Shit. Shit. Shit. How was he going to do this? How did he start? "No. I'm not." He turned to his friend and pulled his bandana off of his head. "Tetsu, I have something to say."   
  
Kotetsu looked up at him and there was so much in those beautiful slanted eyes. Izumo wanted to forget everything, wrap his arms around the other man and just hold him. He was hurting, that much was obvious, but Izumo had no idea what he could do. He didn't know if Tetsu would even welcome that right then. He swallowed. Yet another example of what was wrong between them.   
  
He forced himself to remember why he'd come home. He reached up and touched the edges of the spikes, ran his fingers over the bandage on his face as Kotetsu stared back at him and just that slightest, that tiniest touch seemed to ground him. "I love you, Kotetsu."   
  
His friend swallowed again, his eyes taking on a puzzled look. "I love you, Zumo, you know that."   
  
Izumo shook his head, taking one more deep steadying breath. "No, Tetsu. Not… not like that. I'm… in love with you. Crazy, head-over-heels, stupid, I-can't-think-straight-around-you in love with you." He swallowed hard and looked down, unable to meet his friend's eyes anymore letting his hair fall over his face. He braced himself physically, waiting for the reaction. His back stiffened, his shoulders hunched in, his fists balled in his lap. He listened for the rejection, the words that would push them apart completely. He waited.   
  
And…   
  
Nothing.    
  
He fought tears, fought the emotions threatening to swamp him. He didn't love him back. He'd let himself hope. Let himself believe it, that since they were so alike in every other way, that this would be there, too. Oh God, what was he going to do?    
  
He couldn't breathe, his chest was suddenly very tight, his throat closed up and he turned to stand. He wasn't seeing their furniture, their TV, the pictures on the walls of their life together, his friend's…  _former_  friend's face. If it weren't for the fact that he knew the living room so well, he might have fallen over the coffee table. He stumbled anyway, not sure where, exactly, he was going to go.   
  
Iruka. Iruka told him to come back. He could go there. He… no, no that wasn't fair to the teacher. God, how had it gone this way? So wrong. "I'm… sorry." Izumo whispered, barely a breath of a sound and turned towards the door. He finally made it there, grabbed at the knob and fought with it. It turned, he felt it turn,  _knew_ it turned, but he couldn't see the stupid thing. He couldn't make it do what he needed it to do. Why wasn't the stupid door opening? Why?   
  
Why couldn't he see it? Oh yeah, because he was crying! FUCK! That succeeded in pissing him off. He was mad at himself, mad for crying, mad at fucking up his friendship anyway, maybe even making things difficult between Tetsu and Kakashi all because he couldn't keep his God-damned mother-fucking mouth shut.    
  
He swiped angrily at his tears and that's when he saw the hand. It was holding the door closed, that's why it wouldn't open. He never heard the movement, never felt the chakra. His eyes followed the length of the forearm arm slowly. He  _knew_  what that hand belonged to, would never in his life forget what those hands felt like on him. Would never forget what it was like to have those arms wrapped around him.   
  
His eyes traced the upper arm, the deceptively strong one under the uniform shirt he was still wearing. They moved over the chest, the one he knew was fit, muscled, despite its unassuming appearance. He lifted his eyes, slower still, passing over the collarbone, stopping at the top of the shirt collar. There was the neck that he'd tasted, just briefly, just once. The neck that held the scent and taste of his best friend.   
  
He couldn't do it, couldn't lift them any higher. He caught, just barely, out of the corner of his eye the patch on his chin, the edges of the spikes of hair. "Say it again." That voice, that amazing, comforting, wonderful voice was so low he could barely hear it. But he did. The pain, confusion, fear in it barely registering.   
  
Izumo closed his eyes, tilting his head forward, his hair once more curtaining around him. He considered transporting then, but he knew he was too low on chakra to go far. Maybe the other side of the door, but he'd be lucky if he didn't end up simply sliding to the ground and ending up just sitting there on the sidewalk. _Why make him say it again? What was the point?_ "I'm in love with you," the words came out, barely above a breath.   
  
He apparently heard it . "Oh thank God," Kotetsu said, putting a hand under Izumo's chin, lifting his face and their lips crashed together then.    
  
If the previous two kisses had gone through him, this one completely floored him. He felt it in every tiny fiber of his being. His breath left him completely as his mouth opened and his tongue slid between Tetsu's lips. He pushed his fingers into that incredible ebony hair and held him close. The kiss deepened, nibbling, sucking, both of them unable to get enough of the other. He felt a hand thread through his own hair, his bandana getting knocked off somewhere in there and he moaned, too, at the feel of the fingers along his scalp.  _Tetsu's fingers._   
  
The thought pulled him back a bit. He needed to hear it. He bunched his hands into fists and pulled back. "Tell me. Say it," he demanded, staring into those gorgeous slanted eyes, at the emotion swirling in them, unaware of the fire in his own dark depths.   
  
"I love you, Zumo. I'm in love with you." The brunet slammed his lips back onto his friends, pushing him back against the wall behind him, leaning into him. He nearly devoured him, nipping, biting at his tongue, sucking it into his mouth. He was rewarded with a moan from his friend, now his lover. "Oh God, Zumo," fell from those lips when they broke apart for air.   
  
The arms came around him, the hands yanked at his shirt, pulling it out of his waistband. One moved up under it, and bare skin, the rough pads of fingers dragged over his back. The other hand moved down over his ass, cupping and squeezing it, pulling him even closer as they went back to kissing.   
  
Izumo ground himself against Tetsu, both of them already painfully aroused. Their mouths broke apart and he started kissing his way along the other man's chin. He nipped a trail along his jaw until he got to the collar of his shirt and stopped to leave a bright mark just above it. Possessiveness slammed into him as he looked at the mark. _Mine._ He pulled back and his visible eye met the slanted ones.    
  
Tetsu reached up and brushed his hair out of his right eye, then leaned forward and dropped a soft kiss on the cheek just under it. They stared for another few seconds, then Izumo leaned in again, capturing Tetsu's lips once more. His hands pulled at the other man's shirt and he stood back long enough to pull it off of him, his headband going with it. He stopped to run his fingers over the chest in front of him, tracing the scars he already knew were there. But now it was different. Now, when he touched him, it was to arouse, to hear the moans escape from his lover's lips, not just as a reminder that his  _friend_  was okay. No, now it was because he loved.   
  
He moved then to tease his nipples, running his fingertips over the velvety softness. He pinched lightly, earning himself a gasp from his lover's lips. He glanced up into the slanted eyes again before bending down and running his tongue over one.   
  
Kotetsu sucked in a breath sharply. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but could we maybe get out of the entryway? I don't want our first time together to be against a wall." Tetsu said, quietly.   
  
Izumo couldn't resist the chuckle. "If you insist." He backed off and took the other man's hand, leading him into his bedroom.    
  
"Why yours?" Kotetsu asked with a raised eyebrow.   
  
Izumo grinned. "Because I  _know_  I've got lube."   
  
Kotetsu laughed. "Good reason." But just as they were going through the door, he pulled Izumo back against him stopping to nip at his ear.    
  
Izumo turned and pinned him against the jamb. "Keep that up and we won't make it to the bed. I'll have you right here." Then his mouth crashed down again, unable to resist tasting him once more.    
  
"You were taking too long to get there. I needed to touch again." Kotetsu said when they surfaced for air, moaning quietly and bucking up against the taller man, rubbing their erections together again. He grabbed at Izumo's shirt, yanking it over his head and then their bare chests were against each other. "Oh God, Zumo, you feel so good here," he said, wrapping his arms around the other man. "Right here," he whispered, "in my arms."   
  
"You, too," he whispered in reply, then started nipping and sucking at the skin in front of him again, leaving a trail of marks down over his chest until he came to a nipple. He pulled it between his lips, sucking on it, then bit lightly down on it.    
  
"Holy fuck." Tetsu moaned loudly. His other hand wandered to the other nipple and pulled, tugged and twisted on it, driving him just as crazy over that one. He released the nipple with another light bite, tugging on it with his teeth before he let go. "God, you're a tease." Tetsu grumbled, running his own hands over Izumo anywhere he could reach.    
  
The other man chuckled. "Yeah, and you're really complaining." He backed up, rubbing a hand over the front of Tetsu's pants, stroking his cock through the fabric.   
  
"Oh fuck, if you don't stop that, I'll come in my pants." There was a whine under the strain in his voice.   
  
"Oh no you won't." Izumo said, leaning in to put his mouth near his lover's ear. "I'll be inside of you when you come, even if that means I have to ring you."   
  
Tetsu groaned loudly at the words. "Oh God, you would, too."   
  
"Oh yes, I would." He paused to nip at his ear. "I need you, Tetsu." He stepped back then and pulled him closer to the bed. They stopped once more to kiss, fumbling with each other's pants, then finally -  _finally_  they were naked together. They fell onto the bed, their cocks rubbing against each other and Izumo went a little crazy.   
  
"I can't… God, Tetsu, I can't wait. I want to taste all of you, every fucking inch, but it's too much." He scrambled for the drawer and yanked on it, letting the whole thing fall as he grabbed at the bottle. "I need you  _now._ "   
  
"Fuck, yes, fuck, Zumo." He pulled at the other man, threading his fingers through the brown hair, dragging him down for another kiss.    
  
Izumo pulled back, though, too damned desperate to be buried inside of the other man. He fought with the bottle cap, nearly breaking the damn thing in frustration. But finally, he got it open and pushed his finger into his friend. He curled it just right and found what he was looking for.   
  
"ZUMO. Oh fuck, God dammit!" Kotetsu's eyes flew open. "Shit, don't play with me. Fuck that feels good, but, I want you inside me  _now_ ." Kotetsu's back arched as the other man's finger continued to invade him.    
  
"Dammit, Tetsu, don't push me. I do not want to tear you and hurt you." He paused, forcing himself to calm down just a little. He leaned in, kissing him again and when he pulled back, he said, "I want to be able to make love with you all night. Please, _please_ , Tetsu, have a little bit of patience." His voice was rough with need, trying so hard to hold on.   
  
Tetsu closed his eyes, gripped Izumo's arms, spread his legs a little further and nodded. Zumo pulled his finger out, then pushed two in, parting them as they came back out, doing his damnedest to stretch him, and get him ready. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and he pulled back. He coated his cock thoroughly, added more to the other man's anus, working it around as much as he could. "Tetsu," he said quietly, coaxing his friend to open his eyes.   
  
He positioned himself, lifted Tetsu's legs just a little bit further and started to push in. Their eyes locked onto each other and time seemed to slow to nothing. It seemed like he took forever, hours even, maybe days before he was fully buried inside of him. But finally, finally, he was there, he could feel the other man's ass against his balls and he paused.   
  
Nothing. Absolutely nothing had ever, in his life, felt the same. No woman, not Iruka, absolutely nothing. It felt almost like this tight channel, this heat, this body was made for him. Maybe there was no true perfection in the world, but this felt like it came as close as Earthly possible.    
  
Tetsu's legs wrapped around him, Izumo leaned forward and their lips met again in a kiss that did nothing but reinforce everything he was feeling.    
  
  
  
He couldn't remember ever feeling this good. Kakashi had been good, there was no doubt about that, but he didn't feel like this. Tetsu had never felt this right, not with any of the many women he'd been with, not with Kakashi. It was like his Zumo had been crafted just for him, to be here with him like this, to fill him the way he did. Like this is where they'd been going all these years and maybe… maybe they had.    
  
He didn't know, couldn't think it through in that moment. All he knew what that nothing felt this…  _right._ He savored the taste of his friend's tongue, the feel of his lips against him, having him buried inside of him. He flexed his muscles a little, and Zumo took the hint and started moving.   
  
And oh God, it felt even better, if that was possible. The copy nin was good in bed, there was no doubt about that, he  _knew_ what he was about when it came to sex, but this… there was something more here, something different. And Kotetsu realized that it was all Izumo.    
  
  
  
His hands slid up along Tetsu's arms and they clasped, fingers threading and they held on to each other. He knew he'd never last, not this time, this first time with him. It was too much, too good, too everything. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to gather the shreds of his tattered control.   
  
"Tetsu…" he whispered, releasing one hand and the other man knew what he wanted without speaking. He watched Kotetsu take his hard length in his hand and started stroking it. It was a heady thought that their silent communication extended even there, even in bed.    
  
He watched that hand move, his eyes darting between it and Tetsu's face watching, waiting for that beautiful face to twist in pleasure. He shifted his thrusts, changed the angle just enough and found the spot he was looking for. "Oh God, Zumo. Oh God, I can't… I won't last. Not like this." Those slanted eyes closed as he fought his impending climax.   
  
"Yes, Tetsu, come. God, please, come." He desperately wanted, needed to feel the other man's orgasm. He started pumping faster, just a little harder, hitting his prostate in what he hoped was just the right way and was rewarded when he drew the most incredible sounds from him.    
  
"Oh fuck oh fuck, Zumo…," it was a warning, his hand sped up just a little, matching the now broken rhythm as both men neared their climax. "Now, oh God, now!" His back arched, his ass clamped down tightly on the other man and he came hard, his cum shooting out in thick ropes, coating both of them, his face twisting just like Izumo was waiting for.   
  
He let go then, his own orgasm incredibly hard, the feel of his best friend's body too much. "Fuck, Tetsu, fuck, I'm coming, oh God, I'm coming." It was shouted as he thrust hard once more, his balls tightening and he filled his friend with his cum. Every muscle it seemed, tensing and releasing, responding to the feel of the incredible body he was buried in as it milked him. It went on, the orgasm not letting go, unable to see, to hear, to think and another wordless shout escaped.   
  
When it finally stopped, he went nearly limp, trying hard to keep from dropping his weight onto his lover. Tetsu pulled him down, anyway, wrapping his arms and legs around him. He let go and collapsed onto him, resting his face in the other man's neck. He paused to inhale his scent, drop light kisses along the skin, then laid his head on his lover's shoulder. He felt Tetsu run his hands over his back and drop answering kisses on the top of his head.   
  
"I love you," Kotetsu whispered.   
  
Izumo closed his eyes, savoring those three little words. "I love you, Tetsu." He looked up at him and their lips met again and incredibly, he realized, as they nibbled and nipped, that he was still hard inside the other man. He pulled back and looked into his friends eyes, the dark ones possessive, serious. "You belong to me, now. All of you. No one else ever touches this body, again. Your cock, your balls, your ass, your mouth. It's mine, period."   
  
Kotetsu's smile spread slowly. "Oh yeah. And this, this gorgeous ass," he ran his hand down Izumo's back to squeeze one cheek, "this…" he flexed his muscles around Izumo's cock, still buried inside of him, "this cock," he paused to lay a light kiss on the brunet's lips, "those lips, everything, belongs to me. This is the only ass it'll ever feel. I'll be the only mouth ever on it. Mine." He nipped sharply at Izumo's lips, emphasizing his words and the other man moaned.   
  
Their lips crashed together again and they rolled, Tetsu rising up over him, taking over, riding him hard. Izumo wrapped his hand around his friend's hardening length, stroking it back to life in time with his hips' rhythm. The ebony-spiked head fell back as the feel of their bodies took over.    
  
This was slower and they had a little more time to savor the feel of each other. Izumo ran his free hand down over the other man's chest, stroking his legs, his balls, anything he could touch. Izumo dragged more quiet moans from his lover as he moved.    
  
Zumo's hands went to his friends hips, holding him still and when he looked down, with a tilt of Zumo's head, the other man knew what he wanted. He moved off of him and they turned again. Tetsu bent over in front of him and Izumo eased into his tight heat once more. He bent over his back, dropping kisses along the base of his neck, his back and shoulder. He pushed his fingers through the ebony spikes, and pulled back gently.   
  
His other hand grasped his friend's shoulder and he started pumping into him once more. He released the hair and wrapped his arm around Tetsu's waist. He took him into his hand, wanting to do more for him, wanting to know he was the one bringing him to the edge.   
  
He started thrusting harder, pushing for another orgasm. He easily found the other man's prostate and he used it, pumped into him, hitting it hard with each new thrust. But the tight heat was too much for him, the muscles clamped down, Tetsu knowing just how to get to him and Izumo was surprised by just how much he'd paid attention, just how much he learned so fast.   
  
He surged into him, his climax surprising him. "Fuck, Tetsu! Oh God!" He came, hard, shuddering with the power of it and he buried himself to the hilt, filling him again. There was so much, too much and he felt it leak out around him. The sight of that was enough to send tiny aftershocks through him. He barely kept his head enough to keep working Tetsu's cock.   
  
"Oh God yes…" Tetsu moaned and a few strokes later, he finished, too, then they both fell onto the bed.    
  
They lay there, trying desperately to find their breath, to find the ability to think. Izumo wrapped his arms firmly around the other man needing the closeness, needing to feel him as snug against him as possible. Testu wrapped his arms around the other's and held on as tightly as he could, both stunned more than a little by the sheer force of their lovemaking.   
  
They said nothing for the longest time, letting the hum of their bodies settle along with their heart rates and breathing. Kotetsu twisted just a little and Izumo eased back out of him so that he could turn completely. Their legs tangled together, bodies touching everywhere they could and they stared at each other for a few minutes, still not speaking.   
  
"Do you remember the day we skipped school?" Izumo finally asked.   
  
Kotetsu nodded. "Very well." He gave a half smile. "Back in the back of the training ground. I'll never forget that day as long as I live."   
  
"I think that was the first time I knew I loved you as more than a friend. I had no idea what to call it back then."   
  
Kotetsu grinned, wrapping his arms tighter around him. "I think I go back a little further than that. Do you know the night you started wearing your hair over your eye, when you came over to my room?"   
  
Izumo nodded. "Not likely to forget that."   
  
"What you might not know was that at some point during the night, you ended up curled up in my arms." He brushed the hair out of Izumo's eye with one hand, dropping another kiss on the now-visible cheek.   
  
Izumo blinked. "I didn't know that."   
  
Tetsu nodded. "All I wanted to do was comfort you and protect you, but I had no idea how. We were young and, well, boys, you know." At Izumo's nod, he continued. "The only thing I could think of to do those things for you was to keep you as close as I could. I'd have slept on the floor if you didn't sleep on the bed next to me."   
  
"I had no idea." He stared at his friend, swallowing hard. "All these years." They fell silent, just memorizing each other all over again. Best friends now lovers, they realized that as much as they knew, as much as they'd seen, there was just a little more there now in the look in their eyes, the tilt of their lips when the smile was just for the other person.    
  
Izumo grinned, then reached up and pulled the bandage down over Kotetsu's nose. "I knew it."   
  
"You did, did you?" His lover asked, eyebrows raised.   
  
"Yup. There's nothing under here."   
  
"I could have told you that." Kotetsu said. "But if you knew, why'd you check?"   
  
"Because I wanted to see your whole face." He brushed his fingers over the exposed cheek. "Why wear it if there's nothing there?"   
  
"I thought it made me look sexy."   
  
Izumo laughed. "You don't need any help for that."   
  
The other man grinned. "I think you're biased."   
  
The brunet shook his head. "Nope. You have too much history for that. I mean, you caught the eye of the famous Copy Nin, after all."   
  
Kotetsu rolled his eyes. "What about you? Everyone knows that Iruka is picky. And yet he went after you."    
  
Izumo blushed. "I wouldn't say he 'went after' me."    
  
"I would." He paused. "I was jealous, you know."   
  
Izumo raised an eyebrow. "Of Iruka?"   
  
"Well, pretty much everyone, but especially Iruka."   
  
"Why?" He blinked at the other man, who… blushed. "Tetsu?"   
  
"I was jealous because I couldn't figure out why, if you were going to discover you were gay, you couldn't do that with me."   
  
Izumo fought hard against the laughter that threatened. Tetsu, of course, picked up on it anyway and scowled. "Don't scowl at me." He let a chuckle out. "I felt the same way. And dear God, did it  _have_  to be Kakashi? The man is damned near perfect."   
  
Kotetsu laughed, then. "No, no he's not."   
  
Izumo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"   
  
Tetsu shook his head. "Nope." Then his smile faded and he swallowed. "I think the closest to perfection I've found…" he blushed again and looked down, letting the thought hang.   
  
But Izumo knew. Knew what he was going to say. His swallowed around the emotions that suddenly swamped him and he forced his damned feelings under control. "I'm not."   
  
"For me, you are." He shrugged one shoulder. "That's all that matters."   
  
In answer, Izumo closed the few centimeters separating their mouths and kissed him again. The arms around him tightened, but just as the kiss started to heat, one of their stomachs growled. They broke apart, laughing.    
  
"First things first. I think we need a bit more fuel if we want to do more." Izumo grinned.   
  
Kotetsu sighed mournfully. "I guess so. Let's get cleaned up. Then I'll put something together for us." They paused to kiss once more, then untangled themselves and headed for the shower.


	12. Chapter 12

"You know, I can't remember the last time we bathed together…" Izumo trailed off, chewing on a fingertip in thought as his lover turned on the water.   
  
Kotetsu looked over his shoulder. "The beach."   
  
Izumo's eyes widened. "Has it really been that long?" He asked as he stepped into the shower and adjusted the spray.   
  
"Yup." He chuckled. "We were so covered in wet sand that they wouldn't let us into the inn room. My dad threw buckets of water over us to get the worst of the sand off. Right after that, your mom dragged us in and tossed us into the bathtub, almost literally."   
  
"I remember now. You were practically kicking and screaming. You did  _not_ want a bath." Izumo laughed and reached up to run his fingers through his lover's hair when he stepped under the water.    
  
"You didn't, either. But you kept your fight to just words." He laughed. "Which turned really foul right after she left."   
  
"Well, I wasn't about to use them in front of her." He grabbed Kotetsu's shampoo bottle and dumped a bunch of it on his hand, then turned to work it in.   
  
"That was only the second day we were there, I think. You were so much happier after that…" Tetsu trailed off, moaning. "God, you're good at that."   
  
Izumo blushed. "I've washed it a few times over the years, but you were usually passed out from chakra exhaustion."   
  
"Yeah, and I have never felt your fingers do  _that_  before. Dear  _God_ ." He yanked Izumo's body closer to his own, reveling in the feel of his slick wet skin against him again.    
  
"Hey, watch it or I'll get soap in your eyes."   
  
"I don't give a damn. You were too far away." Kotetsu murmured.   
  
Izumo laughed, and shook his head. "Stand still. You use a lot of crap to get your spikes to stay just right. It takes a lot to wash it out."   
  
Of course, he didn't listen. He insisted, instead, on his hands roaming all over his friend's body, rubbing his rapidly growing erection against him or diving in for nips at his skin. That is until Izumo grabbed two fistfuls of those ebony locks and pulled back. "Ow! What was that for?"   
  
"So I can rinse you and kiss you properly," Izumo retorted.   
  
"Oh." Kotetsu blushed and leaned his head back so it could be rinsed. When Izumo had finished, their lips crashed together again and the brunet ground his hips against the other man. But another moment later, Tetsu's stomach growled again.   
  
"Oh, right, that's why we're in here," he said, chuckling.   
  
Izumo laughed and picked up the washcloth and soap. "Let's see if we can manage to get through the shower quickly, hmm?"   
  
"Right," Kotetsu said with a smirk.   
  
"So," Izumo said, as he tried to force himself to  _just_  wash his friend, "what happened with Kakashi?"   
  
Kotetsu swallowed. "He really did get sent out. I didn't lie."   
  
"I didn't think you did. But…?" Izumo glanced up at Tetsu's face from where he was washing his stomach.   
  
"But… I told him I needed a couple of days to think things over, that it was probably a good thing he was being sent out."   
  
Izumo blinked at him. "You did? What did he say?"   
  
Kotetsu nodded. "Very little, but that's Kakashi. His mask was down, so I saw his frown before he could hide it. But he didn't seem all that surprised. Or upset. But again, that could just be him - he's good at hiding stuff." He considered his friend. "What about Iruka?"   
  
"Oh." Izumo paused, frowning. "Iruka has known from the beginning that I was in love with you. Probably knew it before I did."   
  
"Then why did you two get involved?" Kotetsu turned a puzzled look on him.   
  
Izumo blushed. "To make you both jealous."   
  
"Wait, that's right, Iruka likes Kakashi." He sighed, letting his head fall back against the tile.   
  
The brunet nodded. "Yeah. Been in love with him for a long time, from what I can tell."   
  
"Well, hell. You know, I always knew I could be thick, but I swear I still surprise myself sometimes." He shook his head, taking the washcloth. "So, you got together to try to make us jealous? But… you said you loved him."   
  
Izumo nodded. "I did… do... To a point, anyway. And maybe always will, at least a little. We're good friends now, at the very least. But it wasn't what I felt -- feel -- for you. We were both convinced, though, that you and Kakashi were in love with each other and neither of us wanted to come between you. I was scared of fucking up our friendship. We were… we were ready to just take what we could with each other." He sighed. "Anyway, last night, he told me that I should tell you. Then I ran into Genma tonight who told me the same thing. So, before I came back here tonight, I told him I was coming to talk to you."   
  
Kotetsu shook his head. "What a clusterfuck."   
  
That was answered with a laugh, followed by a groan as Kotetsu's hands roamed over the other man's body. "God, we're never going to get out of here if you insist on washing me like that."   
  
All he got was a chuckle in answer. "We should help them."   
  
"Hmm?" Izumo had lost the thread of conversation.   
  
"Iruka and Kakashi. Normally, I wouldn't get involved in something like that, but, well, we already are."   
  
"Yeah, yeah we are." Izumo forced his thoughts back to the issue. "How do we do that?"   
  
"Well, I think the most clueless out of us," He paused, chuckling ruefully, "well, after me, but I'm not anymore. Erm, anyway," he said, clearing his throat. "The most clueless seems to be Kakashi. So we should talk to Iruka." He pursed his lips in thought.   
  
Izumo let it roll around in his head. "We might need to do something drastic. Standard jealousy didn't seem to work."   
  
"He's convinced Iruka doesn't want anything to do with him, remember?" Kotetsu pointed out.   
  
"Right." He grabbed the washcloth. "We need to get out. Water's getting cold."   
  
They finished up quickly, then stepped out and Izumo took the towel, slowly drying the other man off. Even that turned sensual and it took a supreme effort to remember that they had other things to do. He was a little surprised when Kotetsu insisted on brushing his hair, but he sat on the toilet and let him do it. And was surprised yet again when he looked in the mirror to see it parted exactly where he always did, brushed over exactly where it was always brushed.   
  
He took his turn, working the brush through Kotetsu's hair, but he didn't want his spikes put back in. "If we go out somewhere later, we can worry about it then. I'd rather stay in with you tonight."   
  
Izumo grinned at that and they finally made their way to the kitchen. He did the only thing he was allowed to do - make tea, then leaned back against the counter to watch his lover cook naked. He put together a quick soup, some rice and warmed up some leftover chicken for them. It took every ounce of willpower and a very tight grip on the edge of the counter to keep from attacking the other man the whole time.   
  
But when it came time to eat, they spent the time feeding each other, Kotetsu sitting in Izumo's lap, punctuating each bite with kisses and touches until the food was forgotten completely. He had his hand wrapped around Tetsu's hard cock, stroking him slowly, his mouth on his neck, nibbling and tasting in a way he didn't get a chance to do earlier. "God, Zumo, I want you again," he moaned when Izumo took one nipple into his mouth again.   
  
In answer, Izumo pushed the dishes aside on the table and had Kotetsu up there a moment later. He wanted to  _really_  taste him, learn the things that made him crazy. So he bent to him, taking his lover's cock into his mouth, learning all the little places that would make him gasp or moan. He ignored the pleas for more, the hands fisting in his hair, the whines when he couldn't form words any longer. Instead, he worked him with his tongue, over his cock, his balls, sucking him back into his mouth, until he got what he wanted - the shout of his name and the feel of his Tetsu filling his mouth.   
  
This, of course, was repaid in kind. And just as he had done to Kotetsu, his friend refused to listen to his own demands and concentrated, instead on the end result he wanted. He thought he'd gone truly crazy at one point. "Holy fuck, is that chakra?" Izumo managed, staring at the ceiling. The only thing he got in reply was a chuckle and the other man's mouth moving just a little further down until he was swallowed completely. "Fuck, oh Fuck, Tetsu…" He moaned loudly, grabbed handfuls of the ebony hair, but he didn't know if he was pushing him back down or trying to pull him off. It didn't matter because a moment later, he felt the chakra again, and he shouted once more. "TETSU FUCK!" And lost it, coming hard into his lover's mouth.   
  
He lay on the table, panting, stunned, trying to gather his scattered thought processes. "Holy shit. Did Kakashi teach you that?"   
  
Kotetsu chuckled. "Among other things."   
  
"I maintain, the man must have been fucking perfect. Holy shit," He said again, then finally managed to sit up and stare at his lover. "I'm so lucky you love me."   
  
"I've already argued the first thing." The other man blushed, but leaned forward. "Second, I do love you." Then he grinned wickedly, "and lastly yes, you are."   
  
Izumo punched him in the arm to Kotetsu's surprise. "What was that for?"   
  
"You didn't think that being my lover meant I wouldn't still take swipes at you, did you?" Izumo asked with a raised eyebrow.   
  
Kotetsu laughed. "Right. But I have better ways of getting back at you than returning the punches."   
  
"Oh?" Izumo asked with a smirk. "And what's that?"   
  
"This," Tetsu said and moved in, laying his lips over the other's. He poured everything he could into the kiss, stunning Izumo with the intensity of it. He pushed him back onto the table again, pinning his hands over his head.    
  
"Yes, I think that's much better." Izumo managed, when they broke apart. When Kotetsu released his hands, he pulled him close, running his fingers over the face he loved. He swallowed. "I love you."   
  
Those beautiful slanted eyes closed briefly. "I love you, Izumo."   
  
It took them a few minutes, but they managed to get up. They cleaned up together, forgetting half way through what they were supposed to be doing yet again. Every dish that got passed involved a kiss that grew heated fast. They'd pull away to wash something else, only to be drawn in again. Izumo paused to kiss his way over his lover's body, down his back, then kneel behind him, kissing his way over the sexy ass. He glanced up to see he'd stopped washing. "Keep going or I'll stop," he whispered.    
  
When Kotetsu started working again, he went back to what he was doing. He spread his cheeks gently, dipping his face closer, running his tongue over the tight muscle in front of him. "Fuck, what… is… that…" Kotetsu moaned, dropping the plate in his hand and gripping the edge of the sink.   
  
"You stopped," Izumo reminded him and grinned to himself when his lover picked up the plate again and went back to washing it. He ran his tongue over it again, then dipped down to the spot on his perineum that he'd found earlier, then went back to his anus again. Kotetsu pushed his hips back a little, moaning loudly. "Don't forget to keep washing," Izumo paused to say. He watched to see the arms start moving again, then pushed his tongue through the snug ring and started thrusting inside him with it.   
  
"Oh fuck oh fuck that's good. God, Zumo…" Izumo reached around to wrap his hand around the other man's cock, stroking it slowly,  _very_  slowly as he continued his assault with his tongue. "I… can't… work…" he struggled to speak and Izumo backed up.    
  
"Hmm?" He asked with a grin.   
  
"I can't work if you're doing that." Kotetsu managed, his breath coming in gasps.   
  
"Oh, well, then, I'll just have to stop." Izumo said and stood up. He bumped him out of the way with his hip, then finished washing the plate his lover had been working on.   
  
"That is so not fucking fair." He whimpered and the other man grinned. He glanced over his shoulder just as Kotetsu moved up against him, running his hand over his back and ass. "But that's okay. I can take care of that."   
  
Izumo concentrated very hard on getting the last few things washed, but it was damned near impossible. With Kotetsu's mouth running over him, he could barely think straight. He had one hand on his cock, one on his ass and then for the first time, Izumo felt a finger inside of him. "Oh fuck, that feels good." He set down the bowl in his hand and braced himself on the sink, his head dropping, breath short. Kotetsu worked his finger into him, hitting that bundle of nerves. "OH GOD!" He shouted, pushing his ass back against his lover's hand. He moved against the finger, then moaned when it was pulled out. But a few seconds later, there was another one there.    
  
He gasped as they pushed slowly in, the slight burn feeling so good. "Oh God, more. Fuck… more. Tetsu…" Then he realized that Tetsu wasn't spreading his fingers, wasn't stretching him. He managed to reign himself in a little. "Tetsu?"   
  
"Hm?" It was little more than a sound in the back of his throat as he continued to fuck him with those fingers.   
  
"Do you…" Izumo started, then it stalled when Kotetsu hit his prostate again. He paused to take a breath, "do you want to…" God, he couldn't think, it felt too good.   
  
But Tetsu knew what he was asking. "No, I just want you to feel good." The hand on Izumo's cock sped up, swiping his thumb over the tip, then twisting just slightly. "Come, Zumo," He whispered hitting those nerves again, stroking his cock just so and Izumo lost it, spilling his cum over the cabinets, Kotetsu's hand and even the floor.   
  
"Oh God yes!" He did shout this time, his climax taking him, and he shuddered through it. He collapsed against the counter a moment and Kotetsu pulled him into his arms, kissing his shoulder and back as he calmed down.   
  
When he got his breath back, and he could think, he turned to him and pushed him back against the counter. He paused long enough to kiss him thoroughly, then dropped to his knees in front of him. He took his friend's hard cock into his mouth, swallowing him. Thinking carefully, he focused and gathered his chakra.    
  
"OH fuck! ZUMO!" His hands went to the brown hair, his eyes closed and head fell back against the cabinets hard lost to what his friend was doing to him. "Fuck fuck fuck, oh God, that's good, yes…" He was too worked up, too far gone for it to take long. Hearing and seeing Izumo's orgasm had driven him nearly insane. A few moments later, with two fingers inside of him and a bit more chakra, he came, hard, screaming, Izumo swallowing all of him. He didn't let go until he started to go soft in his mouth.   
  
"How… how…," he tried, his breathing coming in gasps. "How did you figure that out?" He asked when Izumo stood up and wrapped his arms around his lover.   
  
"I always was a fast learner. When I was motivated, anyway," Izumo said, with a smirk. "And I was  _very_  motivated," he said, his voice dropping into that sexy tone that Kotetsu was learning he loved.   
  
"Remind me never to underestimate you." Kotetsu said with a laugh.    
  
Izumo chuckled. "Now, get out. I'm going to finish cleaning up so we can get out of the kitchen. Not that I  _minded_ what we've done here, but I think it's time we finished up. There are more comfortable places in the apartment to fuck each other senseless."   
  
Kotetsu laughed, but didn't leave. "I promise to stay over here." He said, taking up Izumo's normal spot when the other was cooking. "I can't resist the chance to stare at you while you're naked."   
  
Izumo shook his head. "You better, or I'll snap you with the towel," he threatened.   
  
Kotetsu laughed again, but managed to keep his word, staying out of the way for Izumo to finish cleaning up. When Izumo was done, though, he turned to his lover. "I know you said you want to stay in, but…" he chewed on his lip.   
  
"What?" Kotetsu asked, raising an eyebrow.   
  
"Um…" Izumo frowned, not sure how he was going to take it. "I'm… worried about Ruka. He… well, he knew I was coming home to talk to you, but I left him hanging tonight. And, well, I feel bad." He watched Kotetsu carefully. Part of him feeling bad had a lot to do with the fact that he still cared for Iruka. Part of it was that he simply felt guilty. But the biggest part - the part that recognized that they were still friends - just wanted to help.   
  
"Well, why don't we go talk to him. Take him for ramen or drinks or something?"   
  
Izumo blinked. "You… wouldn't mind? I thought you were jealous of him."    
  
Kotetsu shook his head. "Look, I was, yes. But I was jealous because I love you and I thought he was taking you from me. And worse, the  _other_ person in my life lusted after him, too. I mean, really." He paused and Izumo was surprised when color spread over his cheeks. "It didn't help that I thought he was sexy as hell as it was." This last was muttered, but Izumo heard it.   
  
Izumo grinned. "Kotetsu! You wanted him too!"   
  
"What?" He asked, irritated. "I think he's hot. So what?"   
  
But Izumo just laughed. "Oh that's funny. Hmmm." He paused, tapping the edge of his mouth with his finger. "And I think I have an idea. We might need a little help but…"   
  
The other man raised an eyebrow at his lover's evil grin. "Uh oh. I'm not sure if I'm going to like this…"   
  
"Come on, let's get those spikes of yours done so we can go see him."   
  
Kotetsu gave a mock frown. "I'm not sure if I should let you near my hair."   
  
"Why not? You did mine!" Izumo blinked at him.   
  
"Because you might make it look bad just so no one else wants to pick me up." He fought to keep a straight face.   
  
Izumo stepped up to him. "Baby,  _if_  you have sex with anyone else again, it'll be because I say it's okay."   
  
"If?" Kotetsu asked with a raised eyebrow, pulling him up against him.   
  
"Yes, if. You know, we might find ourselves at one of the wild ninja parties or something." He chuckled.   
  
"Right. Us chuunin? I thought those only happened at the jounin parties," he said with a wicked grin.   
  
"Well, now I know you've heard about Gen and Rai's parties, and now that they know we go that way…" he trailed off and shrugged.   
  
"Good point," he said, his grin spreading wider. "That could be fun. Well, we'll have to cross that bridge and all that good crap. We have another chuunin to go see now."   
  
"Yes, and you don't have to worry about my compromising your spikes. You'll look as sexy as you always do. But I want to get out of here soon, not three hours from now," Izumo said, then laughed and ran, knowing it would get to his lover, who, of course, gave chase.   
  
  
When the knock sounded, Iruka considered ignoring it. He really wasn't in the mood for visitors. He was feeling pretty sorry for himself, and more than a little miserable and want to just wallow in self pity for a little while. He stared hard at the horribly-written test in front of him, willing them to go away.   
  
They knocked again and he tried to focus harder. He didn't check for chakra, didn't want to put his out there, in case he didn't want to be found, but then he realized it really could be anyone. Including a jounin sensei of one of his former students, a parent, just about anyone. He sighed and got up.   
  
And as he approached the door, his eyes widened when he recognized Izumo and Kotetsu's chakras. They were the  _last_  two he would have expected to see that night. He opened the door. "Hey! Um… is… everything okay?" He asked, looking in confusion from one to the other. They were dressed nicely, not holding hands, but standing close enough together that he had a feeling he knew how their talk had gone.   
  
"Iruka-san." Kotetsu greeted him with a grin. Iruka blinked. The last couple of times he'd seen Kotetsu, he'd had a scowl on his face, directed very obviously at him.   
  
"Hey, Ruka, um, could we talk to you a minute?" Izumo asked, chewing on his lip.   
  
Iruka blinked at his… obviously  _former_  lover and stepped back. He wanted to tell them to go away, he didn't want to hear about it. But that wasn't Iruka's way, regardless of how he felt. Even so, he couldn't manage to find his false smile, so he just waved a hand toward the main room. "Of course, come in."   
  
They stepped through the door and turned to the main room. He watched Izumo shoot a look at Kotetsu, then the brunet stepped closer to him. "Um… we talked." His face was bright red, and he glanced at the other man again.   
  
"I gathered that." Iruka dug a little deeper and found the smile. "I also gather that things worked out?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.   
  
Izumo nodded. "Yes." He paused. "I… feel bad for the way tonight has gone. That things… went the way they did. Um, with you. I still care about you - we  _both_  care about you."   
  
Iruka considered him a moment, then glanced at the other man. Kotetsu nodded, his face serious, for once. "I did tell you to talk to him," Iruka forced himself to say.   
  
"I know that, but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt." Izumo glanced over as Kotetsu stepped closer to them.    
  
"We've messed things up pretty badly, both of us. We were really screwed up about each other and we dragged you into it. That's not cool." He frowned. "And even before all this, I considered you a friend. So, yeah, I care, too. And I'm sorry for my part."   
  
How upset could he stay in the face of that? He still was -- but he had to admit hearing that helped him feel a lot better.   
  
And he'd known going into it that it could go horribly wrong. He let his body override his head and, eventually, his heart. But he now had two people who apparently cared about him, would be much closer friends, and he could tell Izumo still cared a _lot,_ despite how he felt for Kotetsu. He looked from one to the other. "You don't have anything to apologize for. I went into it with my eyes wide open. I'm as much at fault here as anyone. If you'll recall," he said ruefully, looking at Izumo, "I approached you."   
  
Izumo chuckled. "Yes, you did. But we didn't have to go further. I could have stopped it, too and I didn't. There's blame all around here, but we still feel that we have the biggest shares." He shrugged, then glanced again at Kotetsu, who nodded again. "Anyway, we want to help you."   
  
He blinked in surprise. "Help me?"   
  
Izumo nodded. "Yes. You should be with Kakashi. So, we have a plan."   
  
"Plan?" Iruka asked, raising an eyebrow. He wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that.   
  
"Yes, but we also came over here because we'd like to take you out for drinks of something, so, if you're agreeable, we'll explain on the way," Kotetsu grinned at him.   
  
"Ooookaaay… Um," he glanced at the stack of tests on his desk. He really didn't want to go out, but it was obvious they were determined. When these two wanted to do something, he knew from experience in the mission office, it was difficult to stop them. And he had to admit, it helped him feel better to know that they cared so much. The tests would still be there tomorrow. "Sure. Let me… let me change quick."   
  
A short while later, they were on their way to the Krooked Kunai. "You know the rumor mill is going to chew us up and spit us out if we show up together," Iruka said, chuckling.   
  
"It won't be too bad unless you and I start making out." Kotetsu said with a grin. "Or if you leave with us."   
  
Iruka chuckled. "That's true enough, I guess. But I'd bet we'll still send up a few eyebrows."   
  
Izumo shrugged. "They still think you and I are dating." He grinned, "it wouldn't matter which one of us made out with Tetsu, I'd bet. Either would start a mess of things."   
  
"But that's not what we want to do right away. Not those kinds of rumors." Kotetsu shook his head.   
  
"But we do want to start rumors?" Iruka asked with a raised eyebrow.   
  
Kotetsu hesitated. "Sort of. See, Kakashi really does have a thing for you. I'm sure of it."    
  
"Tetsu was jealous of you," Izumo supplied, earning him a growl from Kotetsu. "Oh stop, you were." He leaned up and whispered, "he also thinks you're hot."   
  
Iruka blushed. "Zumo!"   
  
Kotetsu yelled at the same time, "Zumo!"   
  
Izumo laughed. "What? Geez. You both  _are_  hot."    
  
"I think you might be a little biased, Zumo." Kotetsu said, color staining his cheeks.   
  
"No kidding," Iruka muttered, then blushed more. "Not about you," he said to Kotetsu. "I mean he's right about you and not just because he loves you. Erm…" his mouth snapped closed and his blush brightened. "Never mind."   
  
"Um, thanks. But I didn't mean it toward you, either, I mean… fuck." Kotetsu groaned in frustration.   
  
Izumo laughed. "You two are funny. Maybe you ought to just fuck and get it over with." He shook his head.   
  
"ZUMO!" Both men shouted at the same time, causing the man in question to laugh harder. "Fine, fine, I'll stop. Anyway, you can just sort of tell these things with a lover, you know? And Kotetsu could tell that Kakashi wasn't completely honest."   
  
"Though part of that, to be fair, is that he's not being honest with himself," Kotetsu interjected, his color fading.   
  
"Right. But, if we can get him to actually admit it …" Izumo said.   
  
"Even to himself," Kotetsu added.   
  
"Then we think he'll finally get his head out of his ass and talk to you," Izumo finished.   
  
"You know, a person could get dizzy talking to you two." Iruka chuckled. "Well, do you have a plan for this? And does he know you two are together now?"   
  
"We do have a plan. He doesn't exactly know we're together yet," Kotetsu said and frowned. "I told him I needed some time. He's out on a mission right now. Due back on Sunday."   
  
"Okay, well whatever you've come up with, we better get it moving quickly." Iruka said and they paused at the door to the Kunai. Izumo opened the door and held it for the other two men and they stepped through. They gave themselves a moment to adjust to the dim, smoky interior. As was the case for most Friday nights, it was crowded. The only ones not there, it seemed, were the shinobi on missions.   
  
Anko was holding court at one of the large tables, a group of chuunin losing their money to her at poker. Iruka shook his head. At another table was Genma, Raido and Aoba with another jounin that Iruka didn't know personally. He scanned his memory.  _Daichi_ , that's the name. Aoba's long-time partner. He was one of those that Iruka just didn't talk to much.   
  
He saw Yamato, Kakashi's sometime teammate, and… Gai? set up at the end of the bar. He spotted a few of his fellow teachers, the older generation of InoShikaCho at another table and the Inuzuka clan took up another booth.    
  
There were some of his former students, now chuunin and jounin in their own right sprinkled throughout. He saw one of the other larger tables with most of Naruto's graduating class together along with Tenten and Neji. The rest of the place was filled in with a whole host of chuunin that he didn't readily recognize through the smoke and dim light. It seemed like a lot of people were home and most of them were in the bar that night.    
  
They threaded through the tables toward the only open one that they could see. Unfortunately, that was taken up as they were walking toward it, so they turned toward Genma's table when he waved them over. "Hey," he greeted them with a grin around his ever-present senbon needle.   
  
"Hello, Gen." Izumo said, grinning. Genma raised a questioning eyebrow. Izumo, who was standing between the other two, tilted his head toward Kotetsu and the older man nodded. "How are you guys?"   
  
"Good, grab a seat, it's crazy tonight." Raido motioned to the room. They stole chairs from other tables and squeezed around one end. The waitress approached and they put in drink orders, then turned back. "How about you?"   
  
Izumo figured Genma told him about what they'd talked about, but he wasn't sure he wanted to get into it in front of Aoba and Daichi. He glanced at Iruka who raised an eyebrow. This could be tougher than he thought to maintain appearances for the night. "We're doing good, thanks."   
  
"So," Genma said, grinning and switching his attention to Kotetsu, "how many of the bets are you going to settle?"   
  
Kotetsu raised an eyebrow. "Which bets?'   
  
"Kakashi, of course." He shifted the senbon from one side to the other and back.   
  
Kotetsu just shook his head. "Nope."   
  
"What do you mean, nope? You have to settle  _some_ of them! Come on! "   
  
"Nope. I'm not saying. In fact, I'd planned to withdraw my bids on Monday." Kotetsu picked up the bottle that had just been delivered and took a drink.   
  
Genma sat up, blinking. "No way!"   
  
"What?"   
  
"You did fall in love with him!" He crowed, then dodged the shuriken Kotetsu threw.    
  
Aoba and Daichi chuckled. "Better watch. The next one might be a kunai."    
  
"Where'd you hide that?" Genma asked, staring at the simple shirt and pants Kotetsu was wearing. When he didn't get an answer, he just shrugged. "Okay, at least tell us… does he sleep?"   
  
Kotetsu rolled his eyes. "That was a ridiculous bet to begin with. And you know the answer to that."    
  
"You didn't answer the question. He's a machine, we're all convinced of it."   
  
"He is  _not_  a machine." Kotetsu said, but couldn't stop the blush that came to his cheeks.   
  
Genma laughed at the blush. "You still didn't answer the questions. Okay, fine." He paused, obviously flipping through his mental list of open bets. "Does he read anything besides porn?"   
  
Kotetsu stubbornly kept his mouth shut.   
  
Genma pursed his lips. "Does he  _own_  anything besides porn?"   
  
Still nothing. This was almost fun. Iruka was having a hard time suppressing his laughter. He had no idea just how ridiculous some of the bets were. He had his own money on a few others, including what was under the mask, but some of these were terrible.   
  
"Is he good in bed?" This earned snorts from the whole table. Kotetsu just raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Okay, well, we kind of knew that, anyway. Um, top or bottom?"   
  
Izumo was struggling to hold in the laughter. He was going to have to withdraw some of his own bets, too, knowing what he did. If Tetsu bottomed for him, there was no doubt he bottomed for the Copy nin. Kotetsu stubbornly maintained his silence.   
  
"You guys are no fun!" Genma pouted.   
  
"You're going to have to find another way to confirm it." Iruka said, suppressing his chuckles barely. "His lover's never going to tell."   
  
"It's rare enough that we  _know_  that he actually  _has_  a lover in the first place!" He nearly whined it.    
  
"Alright, Gen, leave the poor kid alone." Raido interceded on Kotetsu's behalf.   
  
"Really, Gen, give the kid some credit for keeping his mouth closed," Aoba added.   
  
"Besides, I thought you guys knew him longer than we did, anyway?" Iruka asked.   
  
"Well, we know some stuff. Did a lot of missions way back when with him, that sort of thing. And yeah, we're friends, but he holds his cards close, even with his friends." Genma shrugged a shoulder. "I've never had the… um… pleasure of spending the night with him, though. One of the bets is that he leaves the mask up for sex." He looked hopefully toward Kotetsu who just shook his head.    
  
"I'm not answering." Kotetsu smirked at the crestfallen expression on Genma's face.   
  
"But… gah! The perfect opportunity and  _now_ Tetsu gets a conscience!"    
  
The man in question laughed. "Sorry, man. You'll just have to find out somewhere else."   
  
"I think we're about done." Daichi cut in, sighing. "We've got a mission in the morning, anyway."   
  
Aoba looked at his watch. "Yeah, shit. Later guys."   
  
Good nights were said, the other three shifted closer to the table and fresh drinks were ordered and waited for. "Okay, now. What happened?" Genma asked.   
  
Raido nudged him, but Izumo held up his hand. "It's okay. I thought he would have told you earlier."   
  
"He told me some of it." Raido said, taking a drink.   
  
"Well, we actually think you might be able to help us." Izumo said and Genma perked up at this. "But…" he paused, watching the senbon bobbed in anticipation, "anything you learn can  _not_  be used to settle your bets."   
  
The face was downright comical and all three of the chuunin tried to suppress their laughter and failed. "Okay." He said, sighing. "What do you want my help with?"


	13. Chapter 13

For the first time in a while, when Izumo surfaced to consciousness in the morning, he wasn't confused. He'd had a hell of a week with the confusion and emotional mess with Tetsu, being sick, and an almost total lack of sleep. But this morning, there was no question, no confusion. He knew exactly where he was and why he was much harder than his normal morning wake up called for. He was curled around the naked back of his lifelong best friend turned lover.    
  
He placed a soft kiss on the back of his lover's neck, then nuzzled it softly. They'd gotten home late last night after making their plans with Genma, Raido and Iruka. Izumo thought there was a really good chance that it would work out. They couldn't force Iruka and Kakashi together, but they could at least put them in the right situation and hope the copy nin got his head out of his ass.   
  
If all else failed, they had a contingency plan. But they didn't want to jinx it yet. There was still a chance their first plan could work.   
  
Izumo ran his hand over the thick ebony hair in front of him. It was soft since they'd showered last night again after being unable to keep their hands off each other when they got home. That time they  _hadn't_  managed to get out of the entryway, much to Tetsu's chagrin. They'd spent the entire walk home from the Kunai touching and kissing and in general driving each other insane. When Izumo had finally managed to unlock the door - right before Tetsu was about to give up and simply transport them inside - they were up against the wall and half naked in less than a minute. They barely managed to remember to close the door. It only took a couple of minutes after that for Izumo to be inside of the other man.    
  
They'd stumbled into the shower from there. It was only because of the very long day they'd had at that point that kept them to actually cleaning each other. They'd crawled into a clean bed - Tetsu's - when they got out of the shower and had fallen asleep shortly thereafter.    
  
He remembered the last time they'd actually slept in the same bed. They'd comforted each other after Asuma's death, their arms wrapped around each other as they'd lain quietly. That was all they'd done - both simply needing the touch to remind themselves they were alive. It had come home to Zumo in that moment just how hard it would be if he lost his best friend. He still hadn't recognized his feelings for the other man, but the fact of their fragile lives was suddenly brought into aching relief. So he'd tightened his arms, reminding himself that Tetsu was alive and whole and right there with them.   
  
It was, in all honesty, the first time they'd lost someone that close to them since Izumo's father all those years before. The death of the Third hadn't even hit them as hard. He'd already been much older and neither of them had been close to him. So they simply took comfort in the ability to touch, curling up a little tighter together and eventually falling asleep.   
  
Since then, they'd been very lucky. Even the Pein invasion and subsequent war hadn't been too bad on them. The whole damned village had been lucky and those they'd known best, their friends, had come out of it amazingly unscathed - injured, but alive. So, the last time they'd actually ended up sleeping in the same bed was years ago.   
  
He forced himself back to the present, to the night before. As he remembered their lovemaking, he stirred, his cock hardening even more, getting further aroused just thinking about it. And at that point he couldn't think much at all. Being tight up against the amazing body of his lover, his cock rock hard meant all he could  _really_ think about right then was filling the ass currently nestled against his groin.   
  
He dropped light kisses along the skin of Kotetsu's back, over the shoulder and down his arm. He heard Tetsu moan quietly. The other man was a notoriously heavy sleeper, so Izumo figured he'd have to do something a little more drastic to wake him up. Grinning to himself, he slid his hand over the other man's hip until he reached his cock and wrapped his hand around it.    
  
He started slow, incredibly slow at first just a very soft pull from balls to tip, and waited for the heartbeat to speed up and the breathing to quicken. It didn't take long. "Oh fuck, that's good. Zumo…" he moaned and Izumo couldn't stop the grin from spreading wider. Tetsu still wasn't fully awake and he was obviously dreaming about him.    
  
He sped his hand up, he added a slight twist, his palm sliding over the tip and there, he felt it, his lover's heartbeat sped up and his breathing started to change. "I was beginning to think you'd get off completely before you even woke up," he said quietly in his lover's ear.   
  
"I haven't done that in years," Kotetsu said, amusement in his voice.   
  
"Well, to be fair, you also didn't have a hand working you over, either." He couldn't completely keep the laughter out of his own voice. Kotetsu rolled to face him and their lips met. Long and slow, a tease and torment, it was a kiss they both were using to work to arouse the other. He felt a hand over his own swollen cock as Tetsu started stroking him, too.   
  
"God… Need to fuck you," Izumo moaned when they broke apart and he heard an answering whine from the other man. His hand moved a bit faster, he swiped his finger through the pre-cum leaking from the tip and spread it over the head. Their mouths nipped at each other again as Izumo scrambled for the bedside table. "Please tell me you have lube in here."   
  
"Drawer," was all Kotetsu seemed to be able to manage.   
  
He dug around for a moment before finally finding the tube. "Almost didn't find it," he muttered as he twisted the cap off. He squeezed a bit onto his fingers and set the tube aside. He was getting near desperation by the time he slipped his fingers into the other man's body.    
  
"Oh FUCK, Zumo. God…. damn…" Kotetsu's hips pushed against the other man's fingers, trying to draw them further into himself. "Shit, more."   
  
Izumo's cock was so hard he felt like it was going to simply explode. He needed to be inside his lover  _now_ , and he was having a incredibly hard time keeping his head. He managed it, but only just barely. He was surprised at how sharp and hot the need clawed at him, how much he wanted to just plunge into him and  _fuck_ . He snatched up the tube again, forced himself to slow down enough to  _not_  over squeeze the damned thing, then tossed it aside. He smacked Kotetsu's hip hard and said one word, "over." The other man rolled, pushing his hips back toward his lover.   
  
He squeezed the ass cheeks in front of him and had to work yet again to keep himself from pushing into that tight heat in one swift stroke. He closed his eyes and gathered his faltering control, then he knelt up and got into place. He slowly breathed through his nose to re-center himself a little, then started pushing into his lover's body.    
  
"Oh fuck, that's so good. Damn, Tetsu…" He made it about half way before he had to stop again. "Too fucking good." He fought again to simply concentrate on breathing through his nose, finding the ability to focus, but he was losing it quickly. Kotetsu answered with another wordless whine low in his throat. He pushed back with his hips and Izumo brought his hand down hard on one ass cheek in warning. "Hold… shit… hold still." That only got him a louder moan that he answered with a smack on the other cheek and somewhere in Izumo's lust-filled haze, he filed that bit of information away. His breath panted out of him as he tried to hold onto his control and keep from being damned near brutal in his need.   
  
"Zumo…  _fuck… me_ …" Tetsu was fighting his own battle. Izumo could see the him struggling for breath, for control. He saw the hands fist into the sheets, his head drop as he tried to focus, the sweat as it gathered between his shoulder blades.    
  
"God…fucking…dammit!" Izumo pushed the rest of the way in, unable to hold on any more. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind that Tetsu would end up seriously sore from this, but he couldn't manage to stop. The wordless shouts told him that his lover was enjoying the way he was damned near pounding into the other man.    
  
His thrusts were hard and fast, nearly brutal, leaving no room to recover breath, no time to think. It was just raw, primal fucking. Grunts and moans punctuated the air along with the sound of sweat-slicked skin slapping, the entire symphony underlined by the rhythmic squeak of bedsprings and the thud of the headboard hitting the wall.   
  
Izumo's eyes closed, rolling back into his head as the heat of his lover squeezed his cock. "So fucking tight," he moaned loudly. "So fucking good. Love fucking you."   
  
He pumped into the other man, only managing to keep his mind clear enough to angle it so that he hit Tetsu's prostate. As he did so, he heard a "fuck…fuck….fuck…" over and over, a vocal refrain overlaying the rest of the sounds, a litany spilling from the other man's mouth in low, near breathless moans.   
  
He felt his balls tighten, knew he was going to go any time. "Close. So god dammed close." Izumo said through gritted teeth as he tried to hold on just a little bit longer.   
  
He reached round, fisting his hand around Tetsu's cock and started moving his hand over it. He got maybe half a dozen strokes over the swollen flesh before he felt the body under him tense and go taut as a bowstring. "Holy… oh… ffff--" Tetsu's attempt at speech failed as the tension broke and his lover came, making a quiet keening sound as his climax hit him, stealing breath and sound and slamming through him. He jerked and squeezed around Izumo, sending him that tiny bit further.   
  
Izumo's own control snapped then and he thrust hard once more before his sight abandoned him to nothing but white. The orgasm hit him hard, exploding through his cock and balls, snaking up his back and taking him by surprise. He shouted enough curses to make Hidan blush as it ripped through him, nearly tearing him apart with its force.   
  
They finally came down from it, both stunned into stillness and silence, except for the sound of their breath coming in sharp gasps, loud in the quiet room, the coda to the symphony. They finally slid over onto the bed, neither of them with the brain capacity to think or speak.    
  
Izumo wrapped his arms around Kotetsu and pulled the other man's back against his chest. He absentmindedly dropped kisses along the skin in front of him. His mind was reeling at the intensity of what they'd just done. He ran his hands over Kotetsu's arm and side, down his hip and back up over abs and chest. Soothing touches, soft kisses. He didn't know if he was reassuring himself or the other man with the touch. He couldn't remember ever losing himself quite that much during sex. Even the couple of times it got a little rough with Iruka, or the time last night in the entryway with Tetsu, hadn't been that hard.    
  
Kotetsu moved slightly and let out a small moan. Izumo realized the soreness was hitting him now that he was down from the high. He eased out carefully, Tetsu letting another quiet moan out. He started to turn, but Izumo just dropped a kiss on his face. "Stay. I'll be right back." He was grateful, at least, that there wasn't any blood on his cock which meant that he didn't tear him.   
  
He grabbed a washcloth and wet it with warm water. He brought it back into the bedroom and paused to clean off Tetsu's chest first, then carefully bathed his abused ass. The moan this time was filled with relief and gratitude. He finished cleaning him the best he could, then tossed the washcloth to the side and climbed onto the bed again. Kotetsu rolled over and nuzzled Izumo's neck, dropping soft kisses there.   
  
They snuggled in together for a bit, Izumo just savoring the feel of Tetsu up against him. He laid his cheek onto the ebony hair on his shoulder. He had no idea what took over there, no idea he  _could_  lose that kind of control. He swallowed hard at the thought that he'd hurt his lover like that. He ran his hands gently over the other's back and shoulders again.   
  
"Zumo?"   
  
He swallowed again. "Yes?"   
  
"Are you okay?"   
  
"Hell no, I'm not okay." He grumbled.   
  
The black head moved and he looked up. "Why?"   
  
Izumo blinked at him. "Why?"   
  
"That's what I asked you."   
  
"I hurt you." He looked up at the ceiling.    
  
Kotetsu snorted. "And? I've taken worse at the hands… err beak… of an ostrich, for God's sake."   
  
Izumo couldn't hold in the minor chuckle at that. "Yeah, but that's… different."   
  
"Why?"   
  
"What?'   
  
"I said, 'why'? Why is that different?" Kotetsu sounded exasperated.   
  
"That's… well, that's… part of being a ninja. Not something you're supposed to take from your lover."   
  
The other man sighed. When he didn't say anything at first, Izumo looked down to see the slanted eyes considering him. "What?" His voice sounded irritated and he supposed he was. Irritated at both himself for hurting him and for Tetsu not understanding.   
  
"Was I bleeding?"   
  
Izumo blinked. "I hardly see how that is relevant."   
  
Another snort as he ignored that. "Was. I. Bleeding?"   
  
Izumo sighed. "No. You weren't."   
  
"Did I get off?"   
  
For reasons he couldn't have identified in that moment, he blushed at the frank question. "Yes."   
  
"Would I have gotten off if I didn't enjoy it?"   
  
Izumo blinked. "Maybe. I've heard of stuff like that. Get Ibiki drunk some time."   
  
He heard a growl from the vicinity of Tetsu's throat. Izumo sighed again. "Fine. Probably not."   
  
"There you go. Get over it. I don't mind it rough sometimes."   
  
"Have you ever been before?"   
  
Kotetsu shook his head. "No, but then again I've never been with anyone who would before, either."   
  
"Not even Kakashi?"   
  
Another head shake. "No. He's not interested in that. Hard and fast, maybe. But never quite to the degree that we did just now."   
  
"Huh." Izumo mulled that over and looked back down at the face tilted up at him. He sighed. "I don't like hurting you, even if you liked it." He watched in fascination as Kotetsu blushed a little and glanced away. "Tetsu?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.   
  
"I like knowing that I can make you like that." His voice was low, but Izumo caught the words.   
  
His mind flashed back to the smack he laid on Tetsu's ass. He'd even been a bit rough when he'd had him roll over. Well, hell. And he couldn't ignore the fact that he'd enjoyed it. All of it, evidenced by the fact that his cock was stirring again at the memories. He shook his head. "Well, for the record, I don't like that it caused pain - the way that it did. But… We've both read enough  _Icha Icha_  to know that if we like something like that, there's a way to go about it."   
  
He grinned when he saw the color darken on Tetsu's face. "That's answer enough." He chuckled, then sighed. "Come on, we have our regular day off stuff to do today and we're going to have to add washing all the damned bedclothes to the list, too."   
  
Kotetsu laughed. "Given what caused them to get that way, I don't mind so much."   
  
Izumo laughed. "No, I don't mind much either." He glanced down at Tetsu. "So. Who's room do we take?"   
  
"Hmm?" Tetsu asked, busy running his fingers over Izumo's chest. He glanced up. "Oh. Um… yours is a little bigger, I guess, but it doesn't matter. Who has more to move?"   
  
"You do, I think, but my bed's bigger." Izumo made a face as he tried to shift a little further from the edge.   
  
"Well, we take your room." Kotetsu dropped light kisses on Zumo's neck and the brunet hummed with it. "Now, how about I make you some pancakes for breakfast?"   
  
Izumo's eyebrows shot up. "What do you want?"   
  
Tetsu laughed. "Nothing. Yet."   
  
"Uh oh. I'm not sure I like the sound of it. Maybe I should make you make eggs, too…"   
  
"Okay." That was too easy.   
  
"Shit. I'm in big trouble, aren't I?" Izumo stared at his lover.   
  
Kotetsu leaned up and whispered in his ear. "You know in  _Icha Icha Tactics_  when they're stuck in the warehouse and decide to pass the time?"   
  
Izumo blinked. "You mean with the…"   
  
Tetsu nodded. "Yeah, with the ropes."   
  
"Oh dear. Um…" he had to swallow around his suddenly dry throat. "Which… side would you want?"   
  
Kotetsu grinned evilly and laid back, spreading his arms wide and above his head. He raised an eyebrow and Izumo felt his cock twitch. "Oh my."   
  
"Wait, why are you bribing me for this?" Izumo asked, eyebrow raised again.   
  
"Well… do you remember the  _other_  part of that chapter?"   
  
Izumo thought quickly, his eyes widening. "You mean, the location?"   
  
Kotetsu nodded. "The part where it's right near the office and  _anyone_  could walk in at  _anytime_ ."   
  
He felt the blood drain completely from his face. "Wait, do you mean?"   
  
"Oh, I don't know, but there's the file room or the supply room or the gate house or…"   
  
"I get it!" Izumo said, his brain on overload thinking about having him in all those places. If they kept this up, they'd spend the entire day in bed and as tempting as that sounded, they  _did_ have things to do. "Bacon, too."   
  
"Done!" Tetsu said with a grin and bounded out of bed. Izumo was fairly sure he'd been suckered somehow. But he couldn't help but grin. Their sex life was bound to be  _very_  interesting. He chuckled and followed his lover to the bathroom. Time to get the day started.   
  
  
When they approached the gates the next morning to take over their shift, they saw Genma talking to the previous shift. When the other nins saw their relief, however, they wasted no time saying their goodbyes and taking off. Genma turned to them, chewing on the ever-present senbon. "Hi," he said with a leering grin.   
  
Tetsu blushed, but Izumo just rolled his eyes. "Hi, Gen. What's up?"   
  
"Just was waiting for you guys, actually. Kakashi came through earlier."   
  
Kotetsu looked up at that. "Oh?"   
  
Izumo paused but realized that Tetsu would probably always love Kakashi to a point just like he, Izumo, would probably always love Iruka. He shoved the thought aside. "Yeah," Genma said. "I told him about tonight. Took a bit of convincing. I had to tell him you'd be there, Tetsu, but he's coming. You too still okay with this?"   
  
Tetsu grinned, then. "Hell yeah."   
  
Izumo laughed. "Yes. It was our idea, after all. Eight, right?"   
  
"Maybe, but we made a few changes, if you'll remember. And yes, eight. And don't get run over by an incoming cart or something before then."   
  
Tetsu snorted. "Not hardly. I'm not missing tonight for anything."   
  
Izumo rolled his eyes. "If he missed tonight, I'd never hear the end of it, even if it was his fault."   
  
Genma snorted. "I'm sure Rai will be happy to hear that. He's looking forward to tonight." The senbon clacked against his teeth as he moved it to the other side. "Well, I've stalled as much as I can. Rai insists I help clean."   
  
"I'd offer to help, but we're stuck here all day." Kotetsu tried to look disappointed and failed miserably.   
  
Another snort. "Yeah, right. Okay, see ya." He threw a wave over his shoulder as he turned back toward the main part of the village.   
  
  
The day took forever to pass. The traffic through the gate took the word "light" to all new levels. It was damned near dead. "You know, it's really hard to behave when there's nothing to do to keep us occupied." Kotetsu groaned. He was currently laying across the counter of the gate house, is arms stretched out in front of him.   
  
"Behave?" Izumo asked, blinking.   
  
"Yes. Like right now, I'm thinking about whether or not I could get away with sitting under the counter and blowing you." He twisted his head on his chin to look up at his lover.   
  
Izumo's eyes nearly crossed at the thought and his cock jumped in his pants. "Dear God, don't say shit like that." His voice came out sounding strangled.   
  
Tetsu laughed. "You could blow me instead."   
  
"That's not helping," Izumo grumbled.   
  
"You know, we probably should blow off some steam before tonight, anyway." Kotetsu looked thoughtful.   
  
"Could you please quit saying that word?" Izumo shifted in his seat, trying to adjust himself. The uniforms were  _not_  conducive to containing an erection.   
  
"Which word? Blow?" Tetsu asked, suppressing a grin.   
  
Izumo's only answer was a groan.   
  
"Oh,  _come_  on, it's not that bad."   
  
Izumo glared at him, then leaned back and turned quickly, giving his lover and co-worker a perfectly clear view of just how bad it was. "There. Happy?" He leaned forward again, readjusted himself and tried to ignore his cock.   
  
All that succeeded in doing was making Tetsu snicker. A moment later, when there was no one around, he slid under the counter, grinning to himself when he heard the gasp next to him. "Tetsu!"   
  
"Shhh," he said, getting into place. "Scoot forward on your chair a little."   
  
Izumo groaned, but did what was asked of him. "There. If we get caught we are in _so_  much trouble."   
  
"Shush." Kotetsu said, reaching up for the button on Izumo's pants. He slowly lowered the zipper, releasing the straining cock and chuckled quietly at the sharp hiss of breath he heard above him. "Be quiet. If you make noise, we  _will_  get caught."   
  
"How the hell am I supposed to stay silent?" Izumo ground out. He grit his teeth as the hand was wrapped around his cock for a few strokes. He threaded his fingers together, clasping his hands in a death grip, then leaned his chin on it to try to hide the white knuckles.    
  
There was another chuckle, then the warm mouth enclosed his cock and hear nearly bit his cheek clean through in an attempt to suppress his sound. "Fuck," he said through clenched jaws when he felt Tetsu do the chakra thing again. He swallowed hard, trying desperately for some composure. He knew his face had to be bright red.   
  
God, he loved this. It was even better with the thought that they could get caught at any moment. He sucked harder on Izumo's dick and rubbed the outside of his own pants over the straining erection he had. He hummed around the cock in his mouth and mentally grinned at the hand that slammed down onto the counter.    
  
He gave up denying himself and opened his pants, releasing his own straining length. He ran his hand over it, palming the tip, then fisted it and started stroking. He moaned low in his throat at the feeling, knowing that the vibrations would feel good on his lover's cock. He heard a grunt in response and moved his mouth a little faster, running his tongue along the length, finding the spot at the bottom that drove him crazy. The sharp intake of breath told him he found it and he tormented it with his tongue.    
  
He saw the thumbs appear as Zumo gripped the edge of the desk. He ran his free hand down over the other man's balls, cupping and teasing them. One finger darted down to tease the spot behind his sac that was sensitive. He felt them tighten, knew Zumo was close and doubled his efforts on his own cock. He pulled off of Zumo for a moment. "Paper towel."   
  
"What?"   
  
"In my pack. Paper towel."   
  
"Fuck." Izumo grumbled, then leaned over and grabbed the other man's backpack. He dug through it for the paper towel he'd brought with his dinner. When he finally found it, he shoved it under the counter and went back to white-knuckling the desk.   
  
Kotetsu took his lover's cock back into his mouth, pausing to suck lightly on the tip before moving his mouth down over the rest. Then he relaxed his throat, taking it all the way in. His hand flew over his own length, the paper towel ready. He heard the strangled sound above him and channeled his chakra again. He thumbed the tip of his own cock, teasing the slit, then went back to stroking himself. Oh fuck, he was close. He groaned again, sending the vibrations along Zumo's cock and saw the grip on the edge of the desk tighten.    
  
There was another grunt, and he felt Zumo's balls tighten. "FUCK. Cart." The fiercely whispered words floated down to him, but he had no idea what they were. They simply didn't register.   
  
Tetsu blinked. Almost, oh god, almost… Just a little… He sucked harder, but a few seconds later, the cock was pulled out of his mouth suddenly. "What?"   
  
"Cart, dammit. Stay there and don't make any noise. If anyone asks you were in the bathroom. And stay silent." Hurried to straighten himself, hoping they didn't notice. He managed to put himself together just as the cart rolled to a stop for inspection. When he stood, he nearly crossed his eyes. He was so aroused, so hard he almost literally couldn't see straight. He'd been  _right_  on the cusp of orgasm when he saw the cart. Walking was torture.   
  
He hurried to check over the fresh vegetables. The driver insisted on small talk and Izumo was about to go crazy. He finally made a lame excuse about having to be near the booth and escaped. He waved one more time to the driver before sitting back down. "Stay there another minute," he said under his breath.   
  
His cock had started to calm down and he figured it was probably a blessing in disguise. They did  _not_ need to get caught like this. But no, no, Tetsu couldn't think like that. Before Izumo could say anything, his pants were unzipped again and his cock was in his lover's mouth once more. He pounded his fist down onto the top of the desk, gritting his teeth, once again trying to hold in the sound. The man was going to kill him.   
  
Tetsu worked quickly. He was not about to leave Izumo like that, and  _he_  was too damned close. He'd kept stroking himself slowly to keep himself hard and close. No, he wasn't going to stop. They'd be nearly desperate for the rest of the shift if he didn't do something. He used everything he'd learned from Kakashi and Izumo. A few moments later, he was rewarded with a short, strangled sound from above.    
  
When he tasted the cum on his tongue, his own orgasm snuck up on him and he only managed to grab the paper towel in time to keep from making a mess of the guard booth. It was hard and because it blindsided him, was even more powerful than a normal jerk off would have been. He screamed round the cock in his mouth, causing it to release an extra spurt.   
  
He let go of Zumo's cock swallowing the last bits of Izumo's cum, and sat back a moment to try to collect himself. He saw his lover do the same thing, could see his chest as he panted with the effort it took to catch his breath. It took  _him_  a few minutes to be able to breathe again. He finally shoved his cock back into his pants and closed them up. He did the same for Zumo, then peeked out. "Is it safe?"   
  
"Yes." He scrambled out from under the counter with a grin. Izumo stared at him, then his own grin spread on his face. "You're going to get us in so much trouble."   
  
Tetsu laughed. "Yeah, and you really fought."   
  
Izumo just shook his head. "Well, not bored anymore…"   
  
His friend snorted. "No, no, definitely not. Of course, now I want a nap…"   
  
Izumo punched him in the arm. "No sleeping. Because I want one, too. Damn you," he said without heat and the other man just laughed.   
  
"Let's eat and maybe it'll get busy for us this afternoon."    
  
Zumo snorted. "We wouldn't get that lucky. Then again, if we  _aren't_ …" he grinned, devilish. "Maybe I'll return the favor." He laughed long and hard when his friend's eyes cross. He leaned over and said in his ear, "you know, it was just such a fucking good blow job, it really should be rewarded."   
  
He chuckled at the strangled sound from next to him.   
  
  
They managed to make it through the afternoon with a bit of added foot traffic. A number of teams returning from long missions and quite a few visitors arriving gave them a bit more to do. Finally, their shift ended and the relief showed up. They scrambled to grab their packs and take off. It was time to get ready for the evening.


	14. Chapter 14

Genma and Raido's apartment was quite a bit larger than Izumo and Kotetsu's which was one of the reasons it was taking place there instead of at their own place. A neutral location was wiser and might also make things go smoother. And it would help lend credence to the idea that it was, in fact, their idea in the first place. So, it was decided to use the older couple's apartment.   
  
There was a short hallway from the front door that opened up into a fairly big main room. It was large enough that, aside from the grouping of living room furniture on one end, there was space for a dining table and four chairs on the other end. They could see the doorway to the kitchen off to one side and another hallway at the end of the room.   
  
The living room furniture wasn't pretty, but it was comfortable, which was all most ninja cared about anyway. The couch was long, easily able to accommodate four people and any pattern there was to the fabric had long ago faded to obscurity. On one end of the beat-up and well-used looking couch was a shorter matching love-seat and on the other end, a large, equally ancient and abused armchair. The wall opposite the couch held the television, their video collection - complete with porn, out in the open - the stereo and their music.    
  
There was no real decoration other than a few movie posters on one wall, a fire country flag on another and their genin team pictures on top of the TV. Izumo suspected the curtains that covered the windows were the same ones that had been there since they moved in. Typical of a guy's apartment, but since they were all guys, it worked just fine. The only other things in the room were a coffee table that had been shoved up against the wall behind the dining table, two tiny chests of drawers posing as end tables and a large pile of cushions and blankets stacked in a corner.   
  
"Oh good, you didn't get run over by a cart." Genma said, when he opened the door. Iruka glanced at each of the others with a raised eyebrow, but Izumo just shook his head.   
  
"Not even close. I told you he wouldn't miss it. In fact, the only cart we saw all day, Tetsu wasn't even there for," Izumo said with amusement.   
  
Kotetsu made a strange coughing sound and his lover laughed.   
  
"I'm not sure I want to know," Genma said as he stepped back from the door.    
  
There was a minor moment of chaos as everyone kicked their sandals off, then they headed into the living room. Raido was putting bowls of snacks out onto the end tables when they came in. "Hey, glad you didn't get run over by a cart."   
  
Kotetsu rolled his eyes. "I see what you think of my ninja skills." That was greeted with laughter.    
  
"Aww, Tetsu, you know better than that. You know we love you," Genma said, ruffling his hair.    
  
"Hey! Off the spikes!" Kotetsu said, ducking out from under the hand, and everyone laughed.   
  
"God, it took us nearly an hour to get them done. He's a pain in the ass about them," Izumo grumbled.   
  
"If things go as planned, they're likely to get messed up anyway," Genma whispered in Kotetsu's ear. Kotetsu blushed at that and cleared his throat, but couldn't seem to form a response. Genma just chuckled.   
  
They got comfortable on the couch as Raido went to fetch drinks. The stereo was turned on low and once drinks were passed around, Genma turned to Kotetsu again. "Are you  _sure_  you won't help settle some of the bets?"   
  
Kotetsu rolled his eyes and Raido sighed. "Leave the man alone, Genma," this came, oddly enough, from Iruka.   
  
Genma turned to him. "Do  _you_  know something we don't?"   
  
Iruka snorted. "There's a reason we're doing this, remember? I  _don't_  know. But I wouldn't tell if I did. And I won't if it works."   
  
Genma looked so disappointed, it was comical.    
  
"How about this, we can all make a bet now to see when he'll finally show," the teacher offered in compromise, glancing at the clock. It was seven forty-five. Genma had told him eight, just like the rest, but they all knew he'd never show then.   
  
"Eight thirty," Kotetsu offered.   
  
"No way. I'm going for nine," Genma put in.   
  
"Eight forty-five," Izumo said.   
  
Raido snorted. "Nine thirty."   
  
Iruka looked thoughtful. "I'll go for eight fifteen."   
  
Everyone looked at him, surprised. He shrugged. "He knows what kind of get-togethers you two have and he knows Tetsu's going to be here, so… Besides, he's been to one before, hasn't he?"   
  
"Yeah," Raido said, sitting back. "It was a while ago and he stayed pretty damned quiet. He sprawled in the chair, just watching everything for the most part."   
  
"So, he knows what's going to happen and who the guests are…" Iruka let it trail off with a shrug.   
  
"I guess we'll find out," Raido said as he collected the money for the bets.   
  
Chat drifted off to mission talk until there was a knock. Everyone looked at the clock at exactly the same time, then all of them stared at Iruka, who blushed. "It might not be him." He said, a little defensively.   
  
That was greeted with a collection of snorts as Genma got up to answer the door. A moment later, he was back with the copy nin and Raido gave Iruka the money. Kakashi raised an eyebrow, at them. "Let me guess, a bet on when I'd show?"   
  
There was laughter at this, which Kakashi joined in on, shaking his head and the tension that had already started eased a bit. "Yes, and Iruka won."   
  
"Oh really?" Kakashi asked, turning to the teacher. "Hm."   
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Iruka asked, a little irritated already. The man hadn't been there five minutes!   
  
"Just wouldn't have guessed you'd get it right."   
  
"Me?" Iruka's eyebrow twitched. "Why not?"   
  
"I figured you would have guessed I'd be at least an hour late. You gave me a lot of credit." His eye crinkled as theirs met and held for a moment, then he looked over at Kotetsu who smiled at him. "Hey."   
  
"Hi." There were a few seconds of uncomfortable silence until Tetsu tilted his head toward the empty seat next to him.    
  
This is where it got tricky. He and Zumo were sitting next to each other with Iruka on the other side of Izumo. Zumo's arm was around the teacher to help keep up the pretense that they were still together, at least for the moment. They didn't quite yet want to let on that he and Izumo had figured things out and were now lovers.   
  
Kakashi took the spot and, after meeting Tetsu's gaze briefly, put his arm around the back of the couch behind Kotetsu. Kotetsu settled into his side a bit and, despite himself, he felt good for being there. He closed his eyes briefly, cursing himself for the mess they were all in. Well, with any luck, they could fix that by the end of night. Raido brought out a bottle of sake for Kakashi right then and Genma grabbed the cushions and tossed them out into the middle of the floor, along with a couple of the blankets.   
  
Even though they knew what was coming, both Izumo and Kotetsu were nervous. They'd started this, come up with the plan, approached Genma and Raido because they  _knew_  what they were about when it came to this stuff. Even the other two - Iruka and Kakashi - had been involved with them before, if only in play. So both of them felt a little foolish for being nervous, but to be fair, they'd only just accepted their preferences a week ago.    
  
Still, they both felt responsible for the mess they were in, the mess they felt they'd dragged Kakashi and Iruka into and they felt it was up to them to help fix it. Or, at least try. And knowing both of the other two, they knew no amount of talking was going to help, at least not at this point. No, they were too firmly sunk into their convictions about the other person. They were going to have to  _do,_  not  _say_ .   
  
It was only this belief in the need to help the other two that had them willing to share each other. At least for one more night. Besides, they  _were_  both very sexual creatures and neither was willing to pass up an opportunity to play. They knew they loved each other, knew that, at the end of the night, they'd fall asleep in each other's arms and that's what mattered to them.   
  
So they sat on the couch, hearts pounding. It was here, there was no more stalling, no more delay. Genma approached Izumo and Iruka and knelt in front of the teacher. Iruka smiled up at him and, saying nothing, their lips met.   
  
Izumo watched, feeling yet another minor spike of jealousy, but he shoved it back. He reminded himself that they'd started this, they'd agreed to all the rules, and despite what he might still feel for Iruka, the man was no longer his. The teacher could do whatever he wanted.    
  
When they broke apart, they both smiled. "It's been a while," Genma said and Iruka nodded.   
  
"It has, hasn't it? You haven't changed, though. Still know how to kiss," Iruka said with his smile spreading to a grin and Genma returned it.   
  
"Of course I do." He chuckled at the snort from Iruka and turned to Izumo. "Now the question is, does he?"   
  
"Oh yeah," Iruka whispered and before Izumo realized what happened, he was kissing Genma. And wow, he could kiss! He vaguely registered that there were other sounds from somewhere, probably from the other three, but he couldn't have focused on it if he had to. The kiss with Genma was occupying all of his brain at the moment.   
  
The older man's tongue slid along his and Izumo had to force himself to remember to breathe. One of Genma's hands came up and cupped the back of his head, holding him a little closer. His mouth moved over Zumo's, nipping and teasing and driving him more than a little crazy. He pulled himself together with effort, put his own hands up on either side of Genma's face, and forced himself to participate more in the kiss. He put more into it, giving as much as the other man, doing his own exploring and tasting.   
  
He heard a very quiet moan and only knew it came from Gen because of the vibrations that he felt. When they broke apart, Genma smiled. "No wonder Iruka likes you."   
  
Izumo blushed, but didn't have too much time to get embarrassed. Gen grabbed one of his hands and one of Iruka's. "Let's get a little more comfortable."   
  
They settled onto some of the cushions and to Izumo's surprise both Genma and Iruka started kissing his neck before any further embarrassment could settle in. He let out a low moan when Iruka's mouth went unerringly to the exact spots on his neck that drove him most nuts. He pushed one hand through the long brown hair, massaging his scalp gently and was rewarded with a quiet moan.   
  
Their hands started roaming, and someone's cupped his cock through his pants. The cock that, he was surprised to realize, was already hard. He let his free hand slide over Genma's chest, down past his stomach to rub it over the other man's cock, too. He earned himself a quiet moan for it and the hand on his cock tightened briefly. Gen's hand, then. He added his own moan to the noise and turned his attention briefly to Iruka.   
  
  
When the other three had moved to the floor, Raido took a seat next to Kotetsu, twisting on the couch to face the other two. He smiled at the chuunin who swallowed around his dry throat, trying to lose some of his nervousness. Kakashi's warm body behind him helped, but he was still a little unsure. He'd known Raido for years, had even joked with him about sex more than once.    
  
But it was one thing to talk and joke and another to be faced with doing something with the man. Raido had always been a little intimidating to Kotetsu, though that was mostly from his size. The tallest out of all of them, if only by a couple of centimeters over Gen and Kakashi, his imposing size came from the fact that he was more solid than the rest of them. Raido was built, and Kotetsu found himself getting aroused at the thought of simply touching his body.   
  
"He's a pretty thing, especially when he's nervous, isn't he?" Raido asked with a smile and Kotetsu was momentarily confused until he realized that the question was directed toward Kakashi about him.   
  
Tetsu grumbled. "I am  _not_  pretty."   
  
That earned him chuckles from the other two men. "He's got the eyes for it, that's for sure." That came from the amused voice behind him. He felt a hand in his hair also from behind him, and recognized Kakashi's touch. His eyes closed without his permission as his scalp was rubbed lightly. Damn the man for knowing him so well.   
  
And then there was a set of lips on him that did  _not_  belong to either Izumo or Kakashi. Raido. He was kissing Raido. Holy shit. He briefly wondered just what he and Izumo had gotten themselves into,  _again_ , but then the kiss took over and he couldn't think much at all. Even with his nervousness, he wanted to make an impression on his friend, and so he did his best to put everything Kakashi and Izumo had taught him about kissing into it.   
  
He sucked lightly on the other man's tongue, nibbled, nipped and explored. His hand came up to the other man's face and he was very briefly distracted when he felt the scarred flesh under his palm. He felt Raido tense, so he put his effort back into the kiss, not moving his hand.   
  
After another moment, the older man relaxed and only then did Kotetsu move his hand, pushing it up into the shaggy brown locks. He felt hands on him, down his sides, resting on his hips, one on his shoulder, stroking over his back. He couldn't distinguish one from the other at first, could only register that there were more than two.   
  
Then he felt the lips on the side of his neck and he sucked in a breath, breaking the kiss. "Damn. He's a good kisser, too. Do you loan him out?"   
  
That was answered only by a chuckle, as the lips on his neck moved further down. He wanted to be indignant, say something about not being owned by someone, but his brain couldn't put the words together cohesively, so he just let it go. Those lips on his neck were doing crazy things.   
  
The hands wandered and one snaked up under his shirt. They were larger than he was used to, so he recognized that they were Raido's, and the rough fingers teased one of his nipples. He gasped again, the pleasure spiking through him.    
  
Then Kakashi's hands came around and started unbuttoning his shirt. The fingers on his nipple continued to tease, pinching lightly and pulling on it and any lingering nervousness fled, chased out by sheer need and lust. A groan escaped, then his shirt was finally open, tugged down off of him and tossed away. The fingers on his nipple then moved to the other one, giving it the same torture.   
  
There was a bite on his shoulder, just a nip, but it went straight to his cock. A moan escaped as he bucked his hips and he was pulled back against Kakashi. Then the fingers on his nipple were replaced by a mouth and the next sounds were even louder.   
  
"He's even prettier when he's like this," Raido said with a chuckle, pulling off of the one nipple that was now hard and moving to the other.   
  
"It gets better still," Kakashi replied quietly, "wait until you see him come." His hands moving down to Tetsu's pants and opening the button.   
  
Kotetsu knew he should say something, perhaps another argument about how he's not pretty, maybe tell them they didn't need to talk  _over_  him but he just couldn't _think._  The two sets of lips and the  _four_  hands on his bare skin were doing things to his system he'd never thought he could feel. He felt Kakashi's hard cock against his back and what he thought was Raido's against his leg and he had a moment to register just how  _big_  it felt against his calf.    
  
And damned if his ass didn't react at the thought of having it inside of him. The idea alone made his cock get harder and another small sound escape. Somewhere in there, he thought that things were moving at light speed, and some things weren't anything near what he expected. He thought maybe he'd  _do_  more, but all he seemed to be able to do was  _feel._ But as quickly as the thought formed, it evaporated when Raido bit down gently on his nipple before releasing it. He gasped loudly in reaction. "Fuck!"   
  
"Lean forward, Tetsu," Kakashi whispered and when he did, he felt movement behind him and saw a shirt land on the back of the couch. Raido sat up at the same time and his shirt joined the other one. When he was pulled back, Kakashi's naked chest was against his back.   
  
Kotetsu stared at the chest in front of him. Like all shinobi, it was criss-crossed with scars, but he barely registered them. The muscles were much more fascinating, bigger than his own, more defined, even, than Kakashi's and he didn't even think about it, he simply reached out and ran his hand over them. He paused at a nipple, letting his fingertips dance over the velvet skin. His eyes shot up to Raido's face when he heard the quiet hiss.    
  
"Sensitive," was all he said and Kotetsu decided then it was time for him to more actively participate in things than he had. He leaned forward and, his eyes darting up at the other man's face once more, took the nipple into his mouth. He sucked on it, teasing it with his tongue. " _Fuck_ , Tetsu…" Raido whispered. And the older man's hands started roaming over Tetsu's body again.   
  
His own hands moved over the skin in front of him, his mouth working over the other nipple like he had its twin and he decided to just take a chance. He ran one hand over the outside of Raido's pants, rubbing the other man's arousal. It  _was_  big and he moaned around the nipple in his mouth. The answering groan he got was loud, even over the music and the bigger man bucked into Tetsu's hand.   
  
Kotetsu reached behind him, his hand looking for the same spot on Kakashi, too. It was awkward to twist his arm that way, but he managed it. A moment later, though, his hand was pulled away and he heard in his ear, "not yet. It's so hot watching you with him and I don't want to go off too soon."    
  
The words made him groan, so he turned his attention back to Raido. He continued to nip and suck at the skin in front of him, careful to refrain from marking. They'd discussed the rules of play when they made their plans. Marks didn't happen without the express permission of the other person's partner. Since those distinctions were deliberately fuzzy that night, they'd agreed that they simply wouldn't do it.   
  
As he worked his way down the other man's body, Raido leaned back a little to give him access. Kakashi's hands were still doing crazy things to him, playing with his own nipples, teasing the spots that he knew drove Tetsu crazy, then they moved around to the front and finished opening his pants. The copy nin's hand slipped under Tetsu's boxers and took his cock into his hands. "Fuck, Kashi…"   
  
He rested his head briefly on Raido's stomach, trying to remember how to breathe again. "Don't forget him," Kakashi prompted and Kotetsu looked up at Raido again. His eyes went between Raido's face and his pants and then pulled them open. He swallowed around his suddenly dry throat again and took a deep breath to try to calm himself. He remembered Izumo's praise, Kakashi's comments about his skill and it helped him felt a little better.    
  
Raido apparently hadn't bothered with underwear, knowing, Tetsu guessed, that his clothes wouldn't stay on for long. He quickly shoved the thought aside that he should have done the same thing and instead pulled the other man's pants aside.   
  
He stared at the thick cock in front of him for only a few seconds before he leaned forward and ran his tongue along its length. There was a hiss from somewhere that he thought was probably Raido, but he was too focused on what he was doing to be sure. He concentrated on tasting the other man, learning the texture, the bumps and veins, running his tongue over the whole thing. "Fuck, that's good…" Raido's hands went to his head and he took the whole thing into his mouth.   
  
Tetsu's own cock was still being stroked and he was having a damned hard time. "Kashi…" he moaned quietly, trying to tell him in the only way he could at the moment that he couldn't  _think,_ couldn't do anything if he kept that up. The hand let go and instead, he felt his pants being pulled further down.   
  
He let go of Raido's cock and knelt up long enough for the remained of his clothes to be tugged off of him. He pulled at Raido's, too, and a moment later, they were both naked. The couch shifted as the copy nin stood and Kotetsu looked over his shoulder to watch him lose the last of his own. He noted with amusement that, though the mask was lower, revealing his lips, it was still around his neck.    
  
He took his place behind Kotetsu again and looked up at Raido. "Move back a bit," and the older man complied, leaving more room for Tetsu and Kakashi. As Kotetsu got into place, he glanced over at the other three and couldn't help but stare. All three of them were naked, mouths and hands moving everywhere. His cock twitched at the sight and he was fairly certain he was openly drooling.   
  
Then he felt the couch move again and his attention was drawn back to the man in front of him, his thick hard cock standing straight up, red and begging for Kotetsu's mouth. He shifted on the cushions, settling between the older man's legs and bent back to it, taking it back into his mouth, and felt good at the groan from the other man.   
  
He vaguely registered the other sounds in the room, but he paid no attention. He was too focused on moving his mouth over the cock in front of him. He relaxed his jaw as much as possible, then the muscles of his throat and finally ended up channeling his chakra to be able to take the whole thing in. When he did, though, he was rewarded with the hands back on his head and the nearly shouted, "Holy Fuck, Tetsu!"   
  
  
Genma glanced up at that and grinned. "Looks like your lover's holding his own up there."   
  
Izumo glanced over to see Raido's dick disappearing into Kotetsu's mouth and his own cock hardened even more. "He's got a talented mouth, no doubt about that," he said, a not-so-minor note of pride in his voice.   
  
"I wonder who's more talented," Genma said, thoughtfully.    
  
"Hmm? Between him and who?" Izumo asked with a raised eyebrow.   
  
Genma's grin turned evil. "Me. I already know Ruka's got a talented mouth." Iruka blushed at that, clearing his throat and Izumo turned to the younger man, kissing him soundly. They got lost in each other a moment, the kiss deepening. Izumo knew that he'd miss it, miss him and he let a little bit of that emotion leak through. The teacher's blush faded and when Izumo pulled back, the other man's eyes stayed closed for another moment, his breathing ragged.   
  
Izumo forced his attention back to Genma. "Well, I won't know if you don't show me, will I?" Izumo challenged and the grin on Genma's face stretched even wider.    
  
"Well, then, lay back." Gen said and Izumo settled back on a couple of the cushions. He grabbed an extra one to prop his head up and looked over at Iruka.    
  
"Come here, let me taste you," Izumo said softly to Iruka. The teacher bent for a kiss, then climbed up over Izumo's body, straddling his face. Izumo wrapped his arms around the other man's legs to steady himself, then moved his mouth over the cock that he was so familiar with.   
  
Iruka braced himself against the couch and found his face near Raido. "Hi," Raido said, smiling.   
  
Iruka smiled back and dropped a quick kiss on Raido's lips. "Hi," then his eyes slid shut when Izumo closed his mouth and he moaned. "Fuck, he's good at that," Iruka whispered.   
  
"We're going to have to bring these guys back again." Raido said with a grin, then his own eyes closed. "Holy shit, Tetsu, what was that?" The only answer to that was a deep chuckle.   
  
Iruka couldn't resist the need to pump slowly into Zumo's mouth, it just felt too damned good. His head dropped, his breathing stuttered and he had to fight the need that nearly overwhelmed. He turned, instead to watch the other three, hoping to distract himself just a little.   
  
It didn't work. The vision he was greeted with only made things worse. Kakashi has his face buried in Kotetsu's ass and Kotetsu was still working on Raido, his mouth moving down over that cock, sucking on it like it was the best thing in the world. Having tasted it, Iruka could vouch that it was, at least, very, very good. The sounds of moans and grunts could be heard throughout the room over the music and it took everything the teacher had to fight for control.    
  
Izumo was just as lost. If Genma didn't stop soon, he was going to come. He  _was_ talented, his mouth working him over, his tongue busily tracing veins and lines, then sucking, then swallowing him. He let go of Iruka's cock briefly. "Fuck, oh fuck, Gen, _yes…_ " He bucked up into the mouth on him, but Genma just put an arm over him, holding him down.    
  
Genma pulled off of him a moment. "Rai," he called softly and his lover looked over at him. He tilted his head once, then went back to Izumo.    
  
Izumo heard the scrape of wood on wood as a drawer protested being opened, but he only vaguely registered it. The cock in his mouth was tasting so good, the mouth on him was driving him just a little too crazy. But then he felt the cold plastic on his stomach and he pulled back from Iruka, holding the other man still a moment. He heard a whine from above him and lightly smacked the ass he was holding which only earned him another moan. There was a chuckle at that from somewhere, but he had no idea who did it.   
  
He looked around Iruka's legs, to see a bottle of lube on his stomach. He picked it up and opened it, covering his fingers. He glanced up at the couch to see what the others were doing, but the only thing he could reasonably see was Tetsu's spikes bobbing. He turned back to Iruka, then, and took the teacher back into his mouth.    
  
Genma did something in that moment with his tongue and he moaned around the cock in his mouth. He tried to buck again, but couldn't, could only feel and he paused in everything he was doing, all of him simply focused on Genma.   
  
Iruka pumped into his mouth, then, reminding him of what he was doing. This was almost too much. Too much to keep track of, too much to feel. He forced himself to concentrate and turned his attention back to Iruka. He took one of his slicked up fingers and started running it around Iruka's entrance. Another moan from above, another stuttering breath and he pushed his finger in.    
  
The teacher couldn't take his eyes off of Kakashi and Kotetsu. Kakashi had his own bottle of lube and was currently working his fingers into the younger man's ass, stretching him. The copy nin looked over at him and their eyes met briefly. In that moment, however, Izumo pushed his finger into him, his eyes closed and he moaned loudly. "Oh fuck, Zumo…" He pumped a little faster, then moving back against the finger, then into the mouth surrounding him, the sensations nearly overloading him.    
  
"Zumo…Zumo, fuck, if you keep that up, I'm going to come," he groaned. In answer, the finger was pulled out, but only a few seconds later it was joined by another one. His eyes flew open when they hit his bundle of nerves, his gaze locking once more with Kakashi's. He saw the copy nin lick his lips and it registered somewhere in the back of his head that he was looking at the man's full face.   
  
But the fingers were working in him, stretching him and hitting that bundle of nerves over and over. Izumo knew how to work him, knew what would make him move towards orgasm fastest and hardest and he had a brief thought that starting out with his former lover might not have been the best idea. Another moan escaped when the third finger was added, the mouth on his cock sucked a little harder and regardless of his attempts, he lost it.    
  
"FUCK!" He shouted as his orgasm hit. His eyes were still locked on Kakashi, he couldn't seem to look away, couldn't seem to close them. All he could do was shake through the pleasure pouring through him and watch the mismatched eyes as they focused on him.    
  
  
He couldn't look away. He should, he really should stop watching, leave the man alone to experience his orgasm but the look on Iruka's face as he came stole his focus from  _everything_ . And he had the strangest thought. _  
  
He_  should be the one doing that, causing that.  _He_  should be the one buried inside the teacher's body, tasting his lips and sending him over the edge. It should be  _him_ \- and here was the strangest part of all - and  _only him_  that made that happen.    
  
They stared at each other for the longest moment. Everything seemed to be suspended, on hold, nothing moving, almost like time stopped completely. He had no idea where these thoughts came from. He'd known he was attracted to the man for a long time, but to feel that kind of jealousy and possessiveness…   
  
It didn't make sense to him. He'd pushed aside relationships, avoided that kind of thing. He didn't  _do_  that. Sex was sex, and that was fine, but that was it. _  
  
Until Kotetsu._  The thought was like a dash of cold water and he nearly stopped breathing entirely. Iruka wasn't his, he belonged to Izumo. And maybe Kotetsu said he needed a couple of days, but he'd been happy to see him, the look on the younger man's face unmistakable.    
  
But he couldn't ignore the feeling that something was… off about the whole damned evening. He knew Kotetsu was also in love with his friend, had seen it for himself, even if he wouldn't admit it to himself. The very friend currently being sucked off by Genma, the one who just got Iruka off. The one who'd been  _dating_  Iruka.    
  
He glanced down at Kotetsu to see him looking back at him. Raido, too, was looking between him and Iruka. Both obviously alerted by his stillness. In fact, all of them were still, waiting to see what would happen. How the fuck was he supposed to deal with this?   
  
He searched around in his head for his aloofness, but it had disappeared on him. Something told him that the assembled company would see through it, anyway. He decided to try something basic - like starting to breathe again - taking air in and out first.    
  
He slowly inhaled through his nose, focusing only on this simple act of breathing. When he knew for a fact he could do that without conscious thought, he refocused his attention back to the man below him. Kotetsu leaned up and kissed him softly, then whispered in his ear, "go to him."   
  
He stared at the other man a moment. "Am I that transparent?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.   
  
But Kotetsu shook his head. "Only to someone who knows you… and understands. He wants you, too. Go."   
  
Kakashi considered him another moment. "But…"   
  
Kotetsu smiled. "I've got Raido to entertain me." He paused to take a deep breath, "and Izumo."   
  
Kakashi couldn't mistake the meaning behind that. So they'd figured it out. "Was this…?" He didn't like the idea of being manipulated like that. He frowned as he considered the other man.   
  
"Would you have done it on your own?"   
  
He sighed. No, he wouldn't have. He would have gone back to being alone when Kotetsu figured out who he really loved and he would have continued avoiding Iruka. And he knew it. He still didn't like how this had come about, but he was here now. He could deal with their manipulations later. He considered his… former lover another moment. But before he could look away, before he could do anything, he felt a hand on his chin, his face was turned and a mouth covered his.   
  
His eyes widened when he recognized the long brown hair that curtained over them. Then they slid closed as the kiss took over. His arms went around the other man and he started kissing him back.  _Iruka._  And damned if that kiss didn't go through him, the touch driving him crazy. He tasted so good, felt so good in his arms. Kakashi's hand slid up to thread through the hair as he held the other man's head close to him.    
  
Their tongues slid along each other and he realized that this was what he'd been fighting all along. Not simple attraction, not relationships in general,  _this_  man. He'd known him, known what he was like and known that Iruka wouldn't let him keep walls and masks, not when it came to him and their relationship. And that was only the first step to his walls going away completely. Kakashi simply hadn't been ready to deal with it.   
  
But Kotetsu had started changing that. He'd put chinks in those walls, pulled his figurative mask away as well as the physical one, saw much more than Kakashi ever wanted him to. Now he was facing the one man he'd known would finish the job, tear down the rest of the walls. And he had no real defense against it, Kotetsu had taken care of that.    
  
They broke the kiss and he looked into the chocolate eyes. They returned the gaze steadily, and there was a wealth of understanding in them. How did he know?  _What_ did he know?   
  
Kakashi wasn't quite sure, but it was time to stop avoiding him and find out. He snatched at the bottle on the couch and stood up off of it. He took the other man's hand, and pulled him along with him. He tossed over his shoulder a "we're using your spare bedroom" and they disappeared down the hallway.


	15. Chapter 15

he four left in the living room grinned at each other when the door slammed. "I think it worked," Genma said.   
  
"My idea," Izumo said, raising his hand and he couldn't hide the bit of pride at it.   
  
"Yeah, yeah, your idea." Genma replied. "Now. Now that that's out of the way, how about we continue what we started?" He turned back to Izumo, his grin devilish.   
  
"Oh hell yes," Raido said from the couch. He sat up and turned to the younger man, pulling him close again. "I think we'll be a little more comfortable down there, because I want more than that sweet mouth of yours."   
  
Kotetsu swallowed, heat pooling in his groin. He'd started to calm down a bit when the whole thing with Kakashi happened, but the comment from Raido had brought his arousal back full-force. He climbed off of the couch and they settled together, sitting up, facing each other on top of one of the blankets that Genma had thrown out there earlier. Raido glanced over at Izumo. "May I mark him?"   
  
Izumo nodded and raised an eyebrow, tilting his head at Genma. Raido gave an answering nod and turned back to Kotetsu. He started with another kiss, just something to get them comfortable again. When they broke apart, he started kissing his way down the younger man's neck, stopping just below the collarbone to suck the skin into his mouth. Tetsu groaned quietly.    
  
Kotetsu pushed his fingers through the shaggy brown hair, letting his other hand roam as far as he could. Down over his back, tracing a few of the scars, feeling the muscle that rippled under the skin as the other man's hands did the same to him.   
  
Raido shifted around, then pulled him onto his lap, and Kotetsu straddled the other man's legs to get a little more comfortable. As he did, their arousals brushed against each other and he moaned. Raido reached down and wrapped one hand around both of them, stroking them slowly.   
  
"Fuck, Rai…" Kotetsu was having a very hard time breathing. He dropped his head onto Raido's shoulder, trying desperately to remember just how to take in air. His whole damned body felt like one single live nerve.   
  
But a moment later, he let go. Kotetsu simply kept his face resting on the other man's shoulder a moment, searching for the control that had run off completely. He turned to the neck and started his own kissing and nibbling. He found a spot at the juncture of Raido's neck and shoulder that caused the other man to suck in a breath and he teased it, nipped at it, ran his tongue over it, doing his best to make the other man crazy.   
  
He looked up at Raido when he realized the older man's hands weren't anywhere on him, a puzzled expression on his face. Raido chuckled quietly. "You really are cute when you're like this."   
  
Before he could get indignant, Raido captured his lips again in another kiss designed to make him insane. But it was also a distraction technique because a moment later, he felt one thick lubed finger at his entrance. It slipped in easily, thanks to Kakashi's earlier attentions. He rocked against it a little, causing his cock to brush the other mans. "Fuck, that's good," he whispered.   
  
"Too good," Raido agreed and held him still as the single finger was removed. It was replaced by two and these burned a little going in. Kakashi had already used two earlier, but Rai's were thicker and just having them pushed in was more than what he'd had earlier. He moaned quietly, trying to adjust to it. "You okay, baby?"   
  
Kotetsu nodded, not trusting himself to speak in that moment. He felt so full already, and he knew this was only the beginning. The fingers pushed slowly into him, then spread slightly as they were pulled out. Fuck, if this was what two fingers felt like, what was the man's cock going to do?    
  
Raido worked him carefully, spreading his fingers, doing whatever he could to stretch the other man and a moment later, Raido was rewarded with a relaxed chuunin who was moaning again. "That's it, baby, relax. God, you're so tight, feel so good…" he whispered into his ear. "I can't wait to fuck that tight ass of yours."   
  
Tetsu moaned louder. "Fuck, oh fuck, yes. I want you to fuck me, Rai…" he moved against the fingers, his cock hard against Raido's own and the older man was having a hard time not just flipping him over and pushing into him. He knew the younger man wasn't used to someone his size and he  _would_ hurt him if he wasn't careful, but oh G _od_ he felt good. He accepted three fingers a little easier, obviously more aroused and relaxed finally.    
  
Raido looked up at the other two, and nearly choked at the sight of his lover bent over in front of Izumo, his ass in the air, his entrance open for him. He heard Gen's moans and it only got worse. "Look," he whispered into Kotetsu's ear and the other man turned around, his eyes widening at the sight. Izumo had his fingers moving inside of Genma and both Kotetsu and Raido stared.   
  
Raido shifted to turn them more toward the other two, then lifted Kotetsu and turned him around, positioning him over his cock. When the slanted eyes opened in question, Raido nodded toward the other two. Gen's face was very close and Kotetsu leaned forward toward him.   
  
  
Genma would not have thought that someone who discovered a new sexual orientation a week ago would be this damn good. Then he reminded himself that he learned from Iruka whom he  _knew_  was good. Even so, he found himself so turned on it wasn't funny. "Fuck, Zumo, stop playing and give me that cock already!"   
  
He thought he heard the younger man mutter something about impatient people, but he wasn't sure. His hand disappeared for a moment and Genma braced himself on his forearms and buried his face in his own hands to try to find the ability to calm down. It wasn't there, he was damned near desperate to be fucked. They'd spent too much time licking and sucking each other, teasing and tormenting.   
  
A moment later, though, Izumo was back, his cock against Genma's entrance. He eased in slowly, maddeningly slowly, and Genma let out a grunt of frustration at the pace. "Zumo, shit, I'm not going to break!"   
  
"God dammit, Gen, you're as bad as Tetsu," Izumo growled. He thrust hard, then, pushing the rest of the way into the other man's tight ass and he groaned. "Oh fuck, that's good…" He paused to gather his wits.    
  
Genma looked up then and saw Kotetsu straddling Raido's legs, slowly lowering himself onto the older man's cock. He watched in fascination as it disappeared and his own cock twitched at the sight. He glanced over his shoulder at Izumo then shifted just a little closer to the other two.    
  
Kotetsu leaned forward and Genma shifted so their lips could meet. It was sloppy and hot and oh so good. They nipped at each other, then deepened it, then nipped again. But the other two got impatient and started moving. They let go and Kotetsu leaned back onto Raido.   
  
He felt full, impossibly full from the cock buried in his ass. Izumo wasn't nearly this big and he knew he was going to be sore from it. He didn't care, it felt so good, and he moaned loudly when he felt it hit that bundle of nerves for the first time.   
  
When Kotetsu was pulled back again, Genma leaned forward to lick and suck on the younger man's leaking cock. "Oh God. Fuck! Gen!" Tetsu shouted and he heard Raido moan, too, though what it was from, he had no idea.    
  
Izumo started moving then and Genma let go of Tetsu's cock for a moment when the younger man hit his prostate. Kotetsu was lifted up by Raido and set to the side as the other man shifted. He got up on his knees, then bent Tetsu over and filled him again. He pulled him up and back against him, then turned them so that he was facing Genma again.   
  
Genma rose up on his hands and took the other man's cock back into his mouth. As Raido thrust into Tetsu, Tetsu's cock was thrust into his mouth. And opposite of them, Izumo was pumping into his ass. Gen was fairly certain he was going to go completely crazy.   
  
  
It was too much. Tetsu knew he was going to go off fast at the rate things were going. Genma's mouth on him and Raido pumping into his ass was incredible. Add to that the visuals of his lover fucking Genma and he knew he was gone.   
  
He couldn't seem to form coherent speech. His 'Oh god, I'm going to come' became something more like 'fuck' over and over instead. Raido unerringly hit his prostate again and again and before he knew it, he  _was_  coming, hard, nearly screaming with it and he stuffed his hand in his mouth to keep from disturbing the neighbors.    
  
It felt like it kept going and going and maybe it was because Raido hadn't slowed. He was staring at Zumo who's eyes were locked on him and he could tell he was very close, too. Genma moaned around Kotetsu's cock and Raido's thrusts became very erratic. "Fuck, fuck, Tetsu, gonna come, oh  _fuck…_ " This came from Raid's voice in his ear.   
  
Kotetsu's system nearly overloaded. The visuals, the sounds, the feelings became too much. He registered that Izumo's eyes shut as he thrust hard into Genma and his teeth clenched while he held in his own sounds. Raido thrust into him once more, then he bit down on Kotetsu's shoulder to keep from screaming and somewhere in there, he felt the vibrations from Genma's mouth, which was still on his cock for some reason as he, too, came.   
  
Genma finally let go and four bodies fell to the floor in a sweaty, exhausted heap. Nothing was said at first, the ability to talk obviously overrated after what just happened. The need to simply breathe was a slightly higher priority at the moment.   
  
When taking in air wasn't quite so crucial, Genma and Kotetsu switched places and curled up with their own lovers for a while. They still didn't talk, there didn't seem to be anything to say. Izumo wrapped himself around his lover, Raido doing the same with Genma. They all just kind of stared at each other for a few minutes.   
  
Then Genma started to smile and Kotetsu couldn't help but return it. "Damn," Genma said. "You guys  _have_  to come back." He laughed.   
  
The other two blushed, but laughed with him. "Is this how your, um, get-togethers usually go?" Izumo asked.   
  
Raido chuckled. "Well, I have to admit,  _some_  of it was different. We usually break the ice with strip poker or something and we don't often have two of our guests take off hell-bent for another part of the apartment."   
  
Izumo chuckled. "I can imagine."   
  
"I wonder how it's going," Kotetsu said thoughtfully.   
  
"Well, neither of them have come storming out through the apartment and I somehow doubt they'd climb out the window naked." Genma said, then sighed. "Damn. I just realized I've got a load of bets I'm going to have to withdraw tomorrow." He looked so disappointed, the others  _almost_  felt sorry for him.   
  
"You know, with… five of us pulling our bets at the same time, the rumor mill is going to have a field day with it," Izumo pointed out.   
  
"Five?" Genma asked.   
  
"Well, obviously Iruka now knows the answers to some of those questions, too by now." Kotetsu chuckled. "And likely a few more even than I do."   
  
Genma's smiled faded. "Does it bother you? Either of you?"   
  
Izumo and Kotetsu looked at each other. "Not really. They should have been together a long time ago. We're grateful that it happened because it helped us get together. And… I guess we'll always care about them, but…" Izumo trailed off with a shrug.   
  
Genma nodded, then sighed mournfully. "Well, the rumor mill be damned. It's not right to settle it that way." Everyone chuckled at that.   
  
They lay together for a little while longer in companionable silence, then the four of them started moving toward their clothes. After they were all hunted up and the younger two helped the others clean up, they made their way down the hallway toward the door.   
  
"We'd offer you the guest room, but it's apparently occupied," Genma said with a grin.   
  
Izumo chuckled. "That's quite alright, we're happy to give it up to them. We need to go, anyway. We're on the desk tomorrow."   
  
"Oh, right. So am I," Genma said. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys then." He bent and gave each of the other two a kiss and Raido did the same. "We were serious about you guys coming back. Maybe dinner next week?"   
  
Izumo and Kotetsu looked at each other and Izumo smiled. "We'd like that. Thanks. Um, if you see them, give our regards to Kakashi and Iruka."   
  
The older couple chuckled. "Sure thing," Raido said. "Night guys."   
  
  
As Kotetsu and Izumo put their things aside in preparation for lunch the next day, they glanced up when the door to the mission office opened. They passed a look between them when Kakashi approached the counter. "Yo!" He greeted them with his patented wave.   
  
Kotetsu stared at him a moment and felt a pang. As much as he loved Zumo, he was going to miss him. And he really hoped he wasn't too mad. He took a deep breath. "Hi."   
  
The visible eye crinkled. "I was hoping you two were free for lunch. I'd like to thank you."   
  
The two younger men blinked at each other. "Thank us?" Kotetsu asked.   
  
Kakashi nodded. "Yes. Thank you. I… admit that I was very much not happy about the… methods you used to make last night happen, but I recognize that it worked out for the best."   
  
Kotetsu raised an eyebrow. "How much did Iruka talk you down?"   
  
Kakashi chuckled. "Well, he did help. But the truth is…" he paused and sighed. "I needed the push. So… ramen?"   
  
The younger two men glanced at each other again, then smiled and nodded. "Thanks, we'd love to."   
  


* * *

  
_Ten years later._   
  
"Come  _on,_ Tetsu!" Izumo called down the hallway, tapping his foot impatiently. They'd been doing this every day for more years than Izumo could count.    
  
"Hang on! It's not quite right." Tetsu called back.   
  
Izumo sighed. "It's  _fine._ I saw it myself!"   
  
He heard grumbling down the hall, then his husband finally appeared. "What took so long?" Izumo asked, annoyed.   
  
"It didn't want to behave."   
  
"You know, his hair doesn't  _need_  to be in spikes," Izumo said, eyeing said hair critically. "I'm not sure making him looked exactly like you for his first day at the academy is wise, anyway. It's bad enough he has your last name."   
  
"I like my hair!" Their son announced. They both looked down at a five year old spitting image of Kotetsu.   
  
Izumo sighed and picked his son up, hugging him. "Fine, Itazu," he said, then grinned when his son kissed him. "Of course it looks good."   
  
"Daddy!" Kukyou called from down the hall. Both Kotetsu and Izumo rolled their eyes.   
  
"Yes?" They asked at the same time and their daughter giggled. She loved doing that -- getting them to answer at the same time, and neither man minded indulging her.    
  
"I can't find my hair tie!" She called.   
  
Izumo sighed and handed Itazu to Tetsu. "Don't move or we're going to be late." He found his daughter in the bathroom, one hand in her hair holding it up, spinning in circles. He calmly pulled the small elastic loop off of the doorknob and turned to her.    
  
He set her up on the step and, rather than waiting for her to do it, he pulled her long brown hair out of her hand. He quickly ran the brush through it again and wrapped the tie around it, holding it in place.    
  
She grinned up at him through the mirror and he saw the sparkle in eyes that were the same exact shape and color of his own. "Thanks, Daddy!"    
  
"Minx," he said, tweaking her nose. "You did that on purpose." She just giggled, confirming it. "Come on, Kukyou, we've got to go. It's your first day, Tetsu took way too long getting Itazu ready, so we're going to be late. It's bad enough your brother looks exactly like Tetsu," he grumbled.   
  
She giggled. "His spikes look funny."   
  
"Shh. Itazu likes 'em. Come on." He picked her up and finally managed to get his family out the door.   
  
  
They made it, just barely. "Iruka-ojisan!" Both kids called, running up and hugging the teacher.   
  
"Hello!" Iruka greeted them, squatting in front of the kids. "How are you, Taz? Ku?"   
  
Both kids cheered. "Ready to be ninja!"   
  
Iruka laughed. "You've got a ways to go before that." He looked at Itazu, "nice hair," he said, suppressing the laugh.   
  
"My daddy did it." Itazu said, grinning up at Kotetsu.   
  
Iruka valiantly fought his laughter. "It looks… great, Itazu. Okay, remember when you're in there, I'm 'Iruka-sensei, not 'ojisan', right?"   
  
Both kids nodded solemly. "Okay. Both of you, inside!"   
  
"Bye Daddy!" Both kids yelled, throwing waves over their shoulders as they ran for the door.    
  
"I think we've been abandoned." Izumo said, watching them run into the building.   
  
"They're just excited, Daddy." Iruka said, laughing. "Give it a few days, you'll have to drag them in kicking and screaming." He turned back to them. "So, um, what, exactly, did I do to you two?"   
  
Kotetsu grinned. "I don't know what you're talking about."   
  
"You had to have  _twins_ . Fraternal, maybe, but twins? And they're  _both_ going to be in my class at the same time." He shook his head, looking very put upon.   
  
Izumo snorted. "You know we love you, Ruka."    
  
"Yeah, right." He paused, then snorted. "Well, maybe it'll work out. With any luck, Kakashi will get them assigned to him when they graduate."   
  
They laughed. "How is he?"   
  
"Out." Iruka frowned. "But he's due back tomorrow."   
  
"I'm sure the reunion will make up for it," Kotetsu said with a grin.   
  
Iruka laughed. "Yeah, maybe. He's been gone a while." At the look from the other two, he chuckled. "Yeah, okay, it will." He shook his head. "So, a whole day to yourselves and no work? What  _will_  you do with yourselves?"   
  
"Geez, I don't know. We haven't had one of those in… six years," Kotetsu said.   
  
Izumo punched him. "As if. Mom takes the kids regularly."   
  
"Well, it sounded good, anyway…" Kotetsu snickered. "I'm sure we can come up with  _something_  to do," he grinned leeringly at his husband.   
  
Izumo rolled his eyes. "Be nice. Kashi's not home."   
  
Iruka just laughed. "It's fine. But, I better go in before someone destroys the classroom. Bye guys!"   
  
"Later. Don't forget the dinner Friday with Gen and Rai. We'll see you, right?"   
  
"Yup." Iruka called over his shoulder, then waved.   
  
Izumo and Kotetsu turned towards home, but before they made it half way, they gave up and transported right into their bedroom. Their clothes were off in less than two minutes, their mouths and hands on each other seconds after that. They barely made it to the bed before Izumo was inside his husband. It was fast and furious and when it was over, they lay together, breathing hard, and grinning at each other.   
  
"You'd think we never get to do this." Izumo said, trying to catch his breath.   
  
"Well, it  _is_  a little more difficult with the kids around."    
  
"That's true. I wouldn't trade them, though." Izumo turned his head to look at the newborn pictures on the nightstand.   
  
"Nope. Neither would I." He paused to catch his breath a little more. He rolled and curled into Izumo, tracing circles over his chest. "Do you remember when Itazu lost his first tooth?"   
  
Izumo chuckled. "Vividly. He thought he was dying."    
  
"Completely panicked. Which only succeeded in scaring his sister." Kotetsu laughed.   
  
"That was almost as bad as when they both got ear infections at the same time." Izumo shuddered.   
  
"Oh God, I know. How old were they? Eight months?" Kotetsu asked.   
  
"Yeah. Your mother was convinced we'd gone crazy. She couldn't begin to understand why we wanted them at the same time." Izumo pushed his fingers through the black spikes.    
  
"I rather thought we were asking my cousin a lot to carry them in the first place." Kotetsu frowned.   
  
"Yeah, even if she offered. Well, so far, I think we've survived the twins just fine. And we are probably crazy." Kotetsu's hand moved up over the chest to trace Izumo's nipples. His husband moaned quietly.   
  
Kotetsu chuckled. "Yeah, we probably are." He looked up at Izumo. "Your mother said that on our wedding day, remember?"    
  
"Oh, I remember. She couldn't quite wrap her head around the kind of wedding two men would have. She kept asking me why one of us wasn't wearing white. But we were lucky. At least our parents accepted us." Izumo's fingers traced over Tetsu's cheekbones and nose.   
  
"Yeah. Rai wasn't so lucky." Tetsu frowned.   
  
"No. Their's wasn't nearly as happy. But Iruka and Kakashi made up for that. I will never in my life forget a bachelor party planned by the biggest pervert in the village." Izumo grinned.   
  
Tetsu snorted. "Oh God. I know. I didn't know that much porn existed. Anywhere."    
  
"And who would have thought that Iruka had the bigger share of it?" Izumo asked.   
  
"Not me. I couldn't stop thinking of him as an uptight schoolteacher. Well, until that night at Gen and Rai's." Kotetsu shook his head.   
  
"Holy, that was a night." Izumo sighed, grinning at the memory. "Of course, it wasn't the last one."   
  
"Hell, I doubt we've seen the last one of those." They both grinned at that.   
  
Izumo's smile faded. "We haven't see the last of anything yet."   
  
"No, we haven't." The unspoken thoughts were shared by both. They would  _not_ die yet. They  _would_ come home from every mission. Kotetsu looked back at his husband. "There are still plenty of memories left to make."   
  
"Plenty," Izumo echoed and they leaned in for another kiss.   
  


_fin._


End file.
